Digital Stress Among University Students in Light of Certain Variables

Abstract

This study aimed to measure digital stress among students at the University of Baghdad and to identify differences in digital stress based on gender (male–female), academic level (first–fourth year), and field of study (scientific–humanities). The study sample consisted of 200 students from the University of Baghdad. The "Digital Stress" scale, developed by the researcher specifically for this study, was applied, and the descriptive-analytical method was adopted. After administering the scale and analyzing the results using appropriate statistical methods, the findings indicated that university students experience a high level of digital stress, while no statistically significant differences were found in digital stress according to gender, academic level, or field of study. The study recommended developing interactive online training programs to teach students digital time management skills and reduce stress, as well as creating a smart application to monitor device usage and provide personalized recommendations for achieving healthy digital balance. The originality of this study lies in the development of a new scale to measure digital stress specifically designed for university students, providing a research tool that can be used to diagnose the phenomenon and develop future intervention programs.