The Relationship Between Academic Stress and Psycho-Spiritual Well-Being among Students of Basic Formation to Religious Life in the Comboni Missionaries, Kenya Province

This study examines the relationship between academic stress and psycho-spiritual well-being among students of basic formation to religious life in the Comboni Missionaries, Kenya Province. It is drawn from a mixed-methods convergent study and focuses on one objective: to examine whether academic stress is associated with psycho-spiritual well-being in this formation context. The population consisted of 66 students in basic formation, including postulants, scholastics, and students in the Brother Centre. Quantitative data were collected using the Academic Stress Inventory developed by Lin and Chen (2009) and the Psycho-Spiritual Wellbeing Scale developed by Egunjobi et al. (2023). Qualitative data were collected through interviews on students' lived experiences of academic pressure, spiritual support, community life, and coping. Quantitative data were analysed using reliability analysis and Pearson product moment correlation, while qualitative data were coded thematically and integrated with the quantitative result through a joint-display logic. Reliability analysis showed strong internal consistency for both instruments, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.91 for the Psycho-Spiritual Well-Being Scale and 0.89 for the Academic Stress Inventory. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a weak negative but statistically non-significant relationship between academic stress and psycho-spiritual well-being, r = -.176, p = .158, N = 66. The qualitative themes do not statistically confirm a buffering mechanism, but they provide contextual evidence that vocation, prayer, spiritual direction, counselling, community support, rest, recreation, time management, and faith-based reframing may help students carry academic pressure without a marked decline in psycho-spiritual well-being. The study concludes that academic stress was present but not significantly associated with psycho-spiritual well-being in this single-site Comboni formation context. The findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample, single congregation, cross-sectional design, and absence of formal moderation or mediation testing.

academic stress, psycho-spiritual well-being, religious formation

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