Purpose: This study examined how working students experience and interpret stress while simultaneously managing their academic and occupational responsibilities. It identifies stress frequency and intensity, major stressors, and physical, emotional, and cognitive manifestations of stress.
Research Methodology: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was used. Three undergraduate students who were both studying and working were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method to identify meaning units and synthesize the participants’ lived experiences.
Results: The participants experienced frequent stress at varying intensities. Major stressors included difficulties in managing time and energy, role conflicts, and concerns about declining academic and work performance. Stress manifests as fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, emotional sensitivity, overthinking, and reduced concentration.
Conclusions: Working students experience multidimensional stress arising from competing academic and occupational demands. Effective time management, adaptive coping strategies, and institutional support are important for maintaining psychological well-being and academic performance among medical students.
Limitations: The study involved only three participants from one faculty at a single university, which limited the transferability of the findings.
Contributions: This study enriches the student mental health literature by providing a phenomenological understanding of working students’ stress experiences and offering practical implications for counseling services, student support programs, and inclusive academic policies.