Journal of Education and Human Development

The Impact of Worry on Academic Performance
Abdalla A. M. Hamid

Abstract
Worry is a basic cognitive characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder. It represents an effort to engage in mental problem solving of a problem whose consequences are vague or uncertain. The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of worry on academic performance. Another objective was to examine age and gender differences in worry. A sample of 366 undergraduate students was selected from United Arab Emirates university. One hundred thirty-eight (37.7%) of the participants were male and 228 (62.3%) were female ranging in age from 18 to 30 years (mean age = 21.28 years, SD = 1.66).The Anxious Thoughts Inventory- 22 items was used to measures worry. This inventory gauges three types of worry: social worry, health worry, and meta-worry. The Grade Point Average (GPA) was used to measure academic performance. The results showed gender differences in social worry but not in health or meta-worries.No significant differences were found in academic performance in relation to age. Students who reported elevated levels of health worry and social worry (type 1 worry) had higher academic performance. Results were discussed in light of relevant literature and previous findings.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v9n3a11