The Relationship Between Family and Peer Support and Stress Levels of Final-Year Students in Thesis Writing

Abstract

This study addresses the challenges commonly faced by final-year students, particularly the stress experienced during the thesis writing process, highlighting the role of family and peer support in reducing such stress. The research aimed to examine the relationship between family and peer support with the stress levels of Nursing Science students at the Faculty of Nursing, Citra International Institute, in 2025. A quantitative method with a correlational design and cross-sectional approach was applied, involving 55 participants selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed with the Spearman Rank Test at a significance level of α = 0.05. The findings revealed that family support had a significance value of ρ = 0.003 with r = -0.397, while peer support had a significance value of ρ = 0.001 with r = -0.420, both indicating a negative correlation. These results suggest that higher levels of family and peer support are associated with lower levels of stress among students, and conversely, lower support correlates with higher stress levels. The study concludes that there is a significant and fairly strong inverse relationship between family and peer support and students’ stress levels, emphasizing the importance of establishing peer support groups and encouraging open communication between students, families, peers, academic advisors, thesis supervisors, and study program staff throughout the thesis writing process.