The Relationship between Academic Stress and Academic Integrity among University Students Moderated by Social Support

Academic stress, which tends to increase among college students, is believed to affect academic integrity; however, the role of social support as a moderator in this relationship still requires empirical evidence. This study aims to analyze the relationship between academic stress and academic integrity moderated by social support among students at a single Islamic higher education institution. The study employed a quantitative approach with a correlational design involving 127 active students from the Faculty of Tarbiyah at Ibrahimy Islamic University in Banyuwangi, recruited through convenience (incidental) sampling from a population of 150 students who met the inclusion criteria described in the Method section. Data were collected using the researcher-developed Academic Integrity Scale (18 items; α = .983), the Indonesian-adapted Educational Stress Scale for Adolescents (ESSA; 9 items; α = .925), and the Indonesian-adapted Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; 12 items; α = .954). Data were analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) in Jamovi. Academic stress showed no significant direct relationship with academic integrity (β = 0.032, SE = 0.038, 95% CI [-0.044, 0.107], Z = 0.825, p = .410). Social support showed a positive and highly significant relationship with academic integrity (β = 0.934, SE = 0.039, 95% CI [0.858, 1.010], Z = 24.193, p < .001). Social support also significantly moderated the relationship between academic stress and academic integrity (β = 0.019, SE = 0.004, 95% CI [0.011, 0.028], Z = 4.435, p < .001), a pattern consistent with pure moderation: at higher levels of social support, the association between academic stress and academic integrity shifted from negative to non-negative. Because the design was cross-sectional and the sample was drawn from a single institution, these results describe a statistical association rather than a causal effect and should be generalized with caution beyond this institutional context. Within that scope, strengthening social support appears to be a promising strategy for supporting students' academic integrity.

social support; academic integrity; academic stress

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