Self-efficacy and stress as predictors of anxiety in Peruvian and Mexican university students: a cross-sectional study
Author(s)
José Anicama
Raymundo Calderón
David Javier-Aliaga
Graciela Caballero
Karina Talla
Ruth Pizarro
Jacksaint Saintila
Date Issued
26 de marzo de 2025
Type
Article
Volume
10
Abstract
In recent decades, anxiety has increasingly affected the mental health of university students; however, few predictive studies have compared two countries in the Americas. This study examined stress and self-efficacy as predictors of anxiety among university students in Peru and Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,167 university students, including 1,160 from Peru and 1,007 from Mexico. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Communicable Disease Stress Scale (CDSS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were utilized. Predictive analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression. The results indicated that Mexican students reported significantly higher levels of stress (M = 9.81, SD = 9.81, d = 0.277, p < 0.001) and anxiety (M = 9.46, SD = 9.46, d = 0.212, p < 0.001) compared to Peruvian students (stress: M = 8.89, SD = 3.04; anxiety: M = 8.39, SD = 4.86). In the regression analysis for Peruvian students, stress ( β = 0.6072, CI [0.5602, 0.6541], p < 0.001) was the primary predictor of anxiety, followed by self-efficacy ( β = −0.0765, CI [−0.1230, −0.0299], p < 0.001), sex ( β = −0.0462, CI [−0.0907, −0.0018], p = 0.042), and age ( β = −0.0906, CI [−0.1344, −0.0468], p < 0.001). For Mexican students (Model 2), stress ( β = 0.685, CI [0.640, 0.7301], p < 0.001) and self-efficacy ( β = −0.103, CI [−0.148, −0.0575], p < 0.001) remained significant predictors of anxiety, with stress having the greatest impact. The model explained 42.9% of the variance in anxiety among Peruvian students (adjusted R 2 = 0.427) and 52.7% among Mexican students (adjusted R 2 = 0.526). These findings underscore the need for interventions focused on enhancing self-efficacy and stress management, taking cultural factors into account, to reduce anxiety among university students.
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