Fatigue among working and non-working students: a sociological analysis of the environmental determinants of its level

摘要

Background: Students often combine learning with working. Their additional responsibilities may reflect on their functioning and health. The aim of the research was to define the average level of fatigue among working and non-working students and to identify environmental factors that can influence this level. Despite the fact that this phenomenon is usually considered as a symptom of a more complex problem, this research focuses directly on fatigue itself without determining whether it is a result of burnout, the chronic fatigue syndrome or some other disease. Material and Methods: The research was conducted among 298 randomly selected second- and third-year full-time students of the Faculty of Economics and Sociology at the University of Lodz. The questionnaire which they completed included scales used to measure the level of fatigue, as well as the level of satisfaction with various aspects of the academic community life. Results: The results demonstrated that level of fatigue among non-working students is significantly higher than among the working ones (p 0.05). In the first group a negative correlation was observed between fatigue and satisfaction with studies (r = ?0.264), and satisfaction with lecturers (r = ?0.281).Also, a positive correlation was found between fatigue and taking a second course of studies (r = 0.170). In the second group negative correlations were identified between fatigue and satisfaction with studies (r = ?0.310), and satisfaction with the atmosphere in a group of students (r = ?0.216). In addition, the authors found that working female students were more fatigued than working male students. Conclusions: The factors analysed, directly linked to an individual’s functioning in an academic community, can be predictors of the level of fatigue among students.