Assessment of the relationship between stress and performance in candidates for the Brazilian Bar Association examination

Abstract Objective: This study investigated stress and performance levels in candidates for the Brazilian Bar Association examination (Exame da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil) in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Methods: The following instruments were used: A sociodemographic data sheet, Lipp's Stress Symptom Inventory for Adults, the Ways of Coping Scale, the Adult Self-Report Scale, and the Self-Report Questionnaire. The final sample comprised 117 candidates, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean = 29.7, standard deviation = 7.8), 76 women (65%) and 41 men (35%). Results: In the first phase of the examination, 67 candidates were approved (57.3%), but there was no significant difference in terms of stress: stress symptoms were present in 76.1% of the successful candidates and 62% of the unsuccessful candidates; (χ2 (1) = 2.09; p = 0.148). In terms of stress phases, 70.6% of the successful candidates (n = 36) were in the resistance phase and 78.4% of these had psychological symptoms. The mean age of successful candidates (28.2 years) was lower than that of unsuccessful candidates (31.7 years); (t (115) = −2.48; p = 0.015). Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms were detected in 18 successful candidates (26.9%) and 6 unsuccessful candidates (12.2%); (χ2 (1) = 2.85; p = 0.091). Conclusions: Candidates who were successful in the first phase of the Brazilian Bar Association examination tended to be younger and scored higher for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, but their stress levels did not differ from those of unsuccessful candidates.


Introduction
People are increasingly exposed to stressful situations due to the continuous transformations of society. Increased stimuli, such as professional and personal demands, make interpersonal relationships more and more intense, causing conflict, tensions and stress. 1 Stress and its influence on relationships have been investigated since Hans Selye's 2 pioneering research on general adaptation syndrome, in which external demands lead to a stress response that is linked, in some cases, to physiological or psychological changes in the body that can negatively affect Since Seyle, further research has explored stress and its variables, adding new aspects such as coping response to explanatory models. From a theoretical perspective, stress and coping have been more valued in health psychology due to the interaction between the organism and the external environment. 4,5 In the interactive stress model, coping refers to cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage internal or external demands or demands that are perceived to exceed the individual's personal resources. 6 According to World Health Organization data, 90% of the world's population is affected by stress, indicating an urgent need to better understand this phenomenon, which has taken on the proportions of a global epidemic. 7 However, it is also known that appropriate levels of stress increase efficiency and improve performance. 8 Thus, stress perceived as necessary and beneficial can have positive effects on performance. However, when these levels are exceeded, an individual's psychological energy is exhausted, exceeding the ability to adapt, thus impairing performance, which can result in the person feeling useless and devalued, without purpose or attainable goals. [9][10][11] Specifically, the degree to which individuals experience stress in a performance scenario depends on their cognitive assessment of the situation and its demands, as well as their belief that they have the necessary resources to deal with it. 12,13 The increasing number of unsuccessful candidates for the Brazilian Bar Association examination has raised questions about the reasons for these high failure rates.
There is an increasing demand for preparatory courses for the examination, which is curious, since it indicates that candidates feel it necessary to study subjects that they have already been taught at university. Thus, in an effort to better understand the high failure rates, we investigated the relationship between stress and performance in candidates taking the Brazilian Bar Association examination.

Overview
The present study was of an applied nature, taking a quantitative approach to achieve descriptive objectives using a cross-sectional design.

Participants
The convenience sample was non-probabilistic,  Table 1.
Candidates who refused to participate in the study were not assessed.

Sociodemographic data sheet
The sociodemographic data sheet covered the following variables: sex, age, marital status, number concern behaviors typical of childhood or adolescence (for example, "running and climbing"). The ASRS offers five response options indicating the frequency of symptoms: never, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often. Cutoff points have not been defined for Brazil and the scale only assesses ADHD criterion A; it does not determine whether the symptoms began before the age of 7 or whether they have affected at least two areas.

Ways of Coping Scale (WCS) 17
This instrument contains 45 items divided into four factors: problem-focused coping (18 items), emotionfocused coping (15 items), search for meaning in religion (7 items), and search for social support (5 items). Answers are given on a five-point Likert scale (from 1 = I never do this; to 5 = I always do this). Scores range from 1 to 5; the higher the score, the greater the use of a given coping strategy. After conclusion of the assessments, participants were invited to an interview to discuss the results.

Data analysis procedures
Participants' responses were collected and the results were input into a database. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

Results
Of the total sample (n = 117), 57.3% (n = 67) passed the first phase examination, while the remaining 42.7% (n = 50) failed. Table 2 shows that the only significant association between sample characteristics and success was with age, i.e., younger participants were more likely to pass the first phase.
The variables retained in the Poisson regression model constructed to assess which factors were   There were no significant differences between candidates who passed or failed the examination in terms of presence of stress, mean total LSSI score, or stress phase. However, there was a significant difference in symptom types: psychological symptoms predominated among successful candidates (Table 3). Similarly, no differences in coping strategies were observed between successful and unsuccessful candidates.
Based on the association between psychiatric disorder symptoms according to the SRQ and possible symptoms of ADHD according to the ASRS, successful candidates were more likely to have ADHD symptoms than unsuccessful candidates (Table 4). This study did not find significant differences between Of those who passed the examination, 26.9%

Discussion
were likely to have ADHD symptoms, which indicates a positive association between ADHD symptoms and passing the test. This, however, could be understood as the physiological response of a "fighting" organism rather than as a symptom of a psychopathological disorder. In a review of stress, Selye 24 stated that the body always seeks to adapt to the stressful event and uses large amounts of adaptive energy in the process. In reacting to the stressor, the organism modifies itself physiologically to cope with an attack, temporarily changing to "fight or flight" mode, which allows the organism to direct all of its energy toward threat management. 25,26 If the stressor is not eliminated, the organism shifts into a resistance phase in which it tries to adapt by expending a great deal of energy preparing to defend against a longer attack. In such cases, passive reaction predominates. [26][27][28] Symptoms that can occur during this period include: arterial hypertension, social isolation, decreased productivity and creativity, tiredness, decreased libido, and attention and memory difficulties. 10 A great amount of energy is expended in this phase to deal with the stressor, which could be related to the candidate's success, as well as to the increase in ADHD symptoms, given that, despite obtaining satisfactory results, candidates may present symptoms related to the physiological and psychological changes involved in this process. In such cases, it would be advisable to evaluate candidates with positive ADHD results after the examination process is over to clarify this relationship.
Five important limitations were identified in this study, the first being that by the end of the study the candidates still did not know whether they had passed the second phase of the examination.
The second limitation was that all of the participants were taking a preparatory course for the examination, which precluded analysis of individuals who did not do so.
Third, the time elapsed since the participant's graduation from college was not considered, which could have been a significant factor in distinguishing candidates, since the ability to recall content could be more compromised after a greater period of time had elapsed.
Fourth, regarding psychiatric medication, no specifications were made regarding the types of drugs used, and ongoing ADHD treatment was not considered.
It was thus not possible to quantify this variable as an element of interference in candidate performance.
Likewise, we did not determine whether the participants had a prescription for such medications, which is important since psychoactive substances (mainly stimulants) are commonly used to improve cognition in healthy individuals.
Fifth, we did not consider whether the participants were also employed or the number of hours in their shifts, which could have influenced their availability to prepare for the examination and, thus, their stress level.
Further studies of the relationship between dysfunctional thoughts, personal beliefs, stress, and performance are needed to determine which factors are actually associated with stress, since this study found a relationship, but could not determine whether internal or external factors were chiefly responsible for the participants' increased stress levels.

Disclosure
No conflicts of interest declared concerning the publication of this article.