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

Abstract

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.