Abstract
This study developed a system dynamics model to analyze the interactions among perceived stress, academic performance, social anxiety, and social support in university students. The calibration combined synthetic data with parameters derived from the scientific literature. The simulations showed that social support primarily reduced stress, whereas reducing social anxiety had a greater positive effect on academic performance. The combined scenario yielded the most favorable overall response. Academic perturbations produced temporary effects on anxiety and performance, followed by progressive recovery. The results constitute computational evidence and require subsequent validation using longitudinal data from real university students.
References
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[18] H. J. Valkenburg, J. ten Dam, S. van der Werf, T. L. Feenstra, J. Rodenburg, and B. F. M. Wijnen, “System dynamics modelling methods for public health policy evaluation: A systematic literature review focussing on mental health and substance use disorders,” BMC Public Health, vol. 26, art. no. 844, 2026, doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-26444-y.
[2] M. C. Pascoe, S. E. Hetrick, and A. G. Parker, “The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education,” International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 104–112, 2020, doi: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1596823.
[3] P. Frazier, A. Gabriel, A. Merians, and K. Lust, “Understanding stress as an impediment to academic performance,” Journal of American College Health, vol. 67, no. 6, pp. 562–570, 2019, doi: 10.1080/07448481.2018.1499649.
[4] K. T. Lisnyj, N. Gillani, D. L. Pearl, J. E. McWhirter, and A. Papadopoulos, “Factors associated with stress impacting academic success among post-secondary students: A systematic review,” Journal of American College Health, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 851–861, 2023, doi: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1909037.
[5] C. A. Brook and T. Willoughby, “The social ties that bind: Social anxiety and academic achievement across the university years,” Journal of Youth and Adolescence, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 1139–1152, 2015, doi: 10.1007/s10964-015-0262-8.
[6] Q. Mou et al., “Social media addiction and academic engagement as serial mediators between social anxiety and academic performance among college students,” BMC Psychology, vol. 12, art. no. 190, 2024, doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01635-7.
[7] E. Y. Strahan, “The effects of social anxiety and social skills on academic performance,” Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 347–366, 2003, doi: 10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00049-1.
[8] S. Cohen and T. A. Wills, “Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis,” Psychological Bulletin, vol. 98, no. 2, pp. 310–357, 1985, doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310.
[9] G. D. Zimet, N. W. Dahlem, S. G. Zimet, and G. K. Farley, “The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support,” Journal of Personality Assessment, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 30–41, 1988, doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2.
[10] L. Ruihua, N. C. Hassan, Z. Qiuxia, O. Sha, and D. Jingyi, “A systematic review on the impact of social support on college students’ wellbeing and mental health,” PLOS ONE, vol. 20, no. 7, e0325212, 2025, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325212.
[11] C. Feng, Y. Song, S. Che, and H. Xiao, “The impact of multiple stressors on college students’ anxiety: The moderating roles of interpersonal sensitivity and perceived social support,” Acta Psychologica, vol. 267, art. no. 107004, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107004.
[12] R. P. Mattick and J. C. Clarke, “Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety,” Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 455–470, 1998, doi: 10.1016/S0005-7967(97)10031-6.
[13] J. D. Sterman, Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. Boston, MA, USA: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2000.
[14] J. B. Homer and G. B. Hirsch, “System dynamics modeling for public health: Background and opportunities,” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 452–458, 2006, doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.062059.
[15] B. A. Langellier, Y. Yang, J. Purtle, K. L. Nelson, I. Stankov, and A. V. Diez Roux, “Complex systems approaches to understand drivers of mental health and inform mental health policy: A systematic review,” Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 128–144, 2019, doi: 10.1007/s10488-018-0887-5.
[16] N. Darabi and N. Hosseinichimeh, “System dynamics modeling in health and medicine: A systematic literature review,” System Dynamics Review, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 29–73, 2020, doi: 10.1002/sdr.1646.
[17] S. Slimmen, M. Franken-Moreno Garcia, O. Timmermans, L. Lechner, and A. Oenema, “Mapping system dynamics of academic, social, and online influences on student mental wellbeing: A participatory systems approach using causal loop diagramming,” Wellbeing, Space and Society, vol. 10, art. no. 100391, 2026, doi: 10.1016/j.wss.2026.100391.
[18] H. J. Valkenburg, J. ten Dam, S. van der Werf, T. L. Feenstra, J. Rodenburg, and B. F. M. Wijnen, “System dynamics modelling methods for public health policy evaluation: A systematic literature review focussing on mental health and substance use disorders,” BMC Public Health, vol. 26, art. no. 844, 2026, doi: 10.1186/s12889-026-26444-y.
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