The Effectiveness of Resilience Training in Reducing Academic Stress Among Student-Athletes at The Faculty of Sports Science State University of Medan

Abstrak

Student-athletes face concurrent academic and sport demands and therefore need adaptive capacities when dealing with pressure. This study examined changes in academic stress following a resilience training program based on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), while also evaluating the module’s content validity and participant acceptance. A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 20 student-athletes enrolled in the Physical Education, Health, and Recreation Study Program at State University of Medan, comprising 12 men and 8 women aged 19–20 years. The training consisted of eight sessions delivered over two days. Two validators evaluated the module using Aiken’s V. Academic stress was measured immediately before and after training using an adapted Academic Stress Inventory. Descriptive statistics, a paired-samples t test, effect sizes, satisfaction ratings, and thematic analysis of participant reflections were used. All 53 module items obtained V values ranging from 0.875 to 1.000, with an overall mean of 0.974. Mean academic stress decreased from 159.40 (SD=30.693) to 140.60 (SD=37.883). The paired-samples test indicated a significant difference, t(19)=−5.255, p<.001, Cohen’s dz=−1.175. Participant satisfaction reached 100%, while reflections highlighted teamwork, cognitive and emotional regulation, relaxation, and perseverance. The training was associated with an immediate reduction in academic stress in this group; however, causal inference and the durability of the change remain limited by the absence of a control group and follow-up assessment.