Anxiety about scientific research in accounting master students

Abstract

The psychological disorders are part of today's society, and research is the process through which humanity progresses; however, issues arise when anxiety becomes a hindrance. The research aimed to determine the levels of anxiety generated by graduate students in accounting at the National University of the Altiplano in Puno regarding the curriculum area. This study had a non-experimental quantitative approach with a cross-sectional correlational design. The total sample consisted of 196 graduate students from the second, third, and fourth cycles. ANOVA statistics and post-hoc analysis were applied. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) survey was used to evaluate anxiety levels in the curriculum areas: scientific culture, spatiality, and research. The results, from the Tukey's test for homogeneous subgroups and comparison of individual means from an ANOVA, indicate that the average concentration of anxiety disorders is significantly higher for the research curriculum area (M=19.58; P<0.01), and lower for the specialization (M=9.84; P<0.01) and scientific culture (M=10.03; P<0.01) curriculum areas. Graduate students in accounting and finance who take courses in the research area exhibit higher anxiety levels compared to other areas, highlighting the importance of promoting research as it sustains societal development.