Exam Stress Induces Hormonal Changes amongst Students of the <i>Al-Haweeja</i> Technical College

Abstract

Sixty students from both genders aged 19 - 22 years old at College of Technology undertaking halfterm exams of 2012-2013 are encountered in this study. Blood samples were collected twice, i.e. before the exam inside the halls and during the rest time, to compare levels of some hormones, e.g. cortisol from all students, testosterone in male only and both estrogen and progesterone in female students. The female group was further subdivided into two subgroups, 15 each i.e. at the first half of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase) and second group at the second half of the menstrual cycle (luteal phase). The levels of cortisol had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) raised from 12.3 ± 3.6 to 32.3 ± 4.2 ng/mL and from 11.6 ± 1.8 to 31.6 ± 7.3 ng/mL in both male and female students, respectively during exams in comparison with rest times. However, the levels of testosterone had significantly dropped (p ≤ 0.05) from 6.63 ± 1.8 to 2.1 ± 0.4 ng/mL during the test-time. In female students, the levels of both estrogens and progesterone had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased, i.e. in follicular from 202 ± 38 to 365 ± 22 and from 64.6 ± 8.0 to 160 ± 37 ng/mL at luteal phases, respectively and from 0.74 ± 0.03 to 1.5 ± 0.04 in follicular and 14.4 ± 2.4 to 29 ± 4.2 ng/mL at luteal phase, respectively in progesterone during the exam in comparison with rest times. These results indicate that all students had sustained stress during the exam-time which might have disturbed the regulation of various hormones in both genders consequently leading to further health effects.