Understanding Academic Anxiety in the Digital Age: An Exploratory Analysis Among University Students and the Influence of New Technologies

The problem of academic anxiety is a recurrent issue among university students. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze the Ecuadorian context regarding the perception that students have about exam anxiety, mitigation methods, and its relationship with their academic performance. A total of 1274 students (M = 630, F = 644) from the three largest cities in the country, from multiple majors and semesters, were surveyed to determine their respective correlations. The significant findings demonstrate that, indeed, the sensation of anxiety produced by exams is more linked to women than to men, and also depends on the major and semester they are in. On the other hand, regarding anxiety mitigation, although there is no correlation with gender, major, or semester, it is evident that non-pharmacological options such as deep breathing, exercise, and meditation are the most common. Finally, academic digital performance with anxiety only has a significant correlation with the semester. In conclusion, it has been shown that academic anxiety produced by exams and academic performance is a common multifactorial complex phenomenon in Ecuador that needs to be ad-dressed consistently with strategies that enhance the well-being of students in higher education institutions.