A Case Work Intervention Study On Academic Stress Among Maritime Students

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report of the 19 th Party Congress that in the next five years,we should implement the strategy of coordinated regional development,adhere to the integration of land and sea,and accelerate the construction of a strong marine state.In order to build a strong maritime nation,nautical colleges and universities are bound to deliver high quality maritime talents to the shipping industry,and therefore adopt a more stringent training programme when training college students in nautical courses,resulting in greater academic pressure on some students.Although the mental health problems of college students in the nautical class are increasing due to academic stress,a review of the existing literature shows that relatively little research has been carried out on academic stress in this group.This study investigated the academic stress of 205 university students in Dalian D University through questionnaires and interviews,including the manifestations and influencing factors of academic stress.The study concluded that the academic stress of college students in the maritime field is characterised by sensitivity,excessive worry,negative attitude and excessive distress;the factors influencing the academic stress are personal,family and school factors;and the needs of college students in the maritime field are the need to improve learning efficiency,the need to improve learning methods and the need to correct their own perceptions.The researcher used cognitive-behavioural theory to classify three types of stressors(cognitive bias,emotional negativity and slackness)and selected one client from each type who was willing to provide casework intervention.Based on cognitive-behavioural theory and dominant perspective theory,the researcher used the casework approach to help the three clients correct their biased perceptions,eliminate negative emotions,develop time management and self-directed learning skills,thereby alleviating their academic stress problems.The process is divided into three stages,including intake and assessment,planning and intervention,and evaluation and closure.The first interview was a case intake,the second,third and fourth interviews were interventions,and the assessment and planning were conducted online.A paired-sample t-test was conducted using SPSS statistical software on the pre-and post-test data of the three clients to conclude that the casework approach was able to alleviate the academic stress of the university students of the University of D.The effect of the casework approach,however,varied from person to person.At the same time,there are two limitations to this study.Firstly,the generalisability of the findings needs to be verified;secondly,the researcher’s competence needs to be improved.In addition,the researcher concludes the study with a few suggestions to alleviate the academic stress of the maritime students.