I am obviously making an educated guess based on experience here, however I believe that answer to why the stress is high is what causes reduced code quality rather than the stress itself.
For example, if you're under the pump and have unrealistic deadlines, you are more likely going to write less quality code. Not because you're trying to cut corners, but because when you have the time, you go over your code an improve it about five times before submitting it and have a freer mind to do that.
IMO, experience indicates that the best code quality comes well away from deadlines. Code written just before a tight deadline or during the recovery period afterward could always use extra scrutiny.
Is it really a surprise that the distractions, disruptions, and fatigue of stress affect a task that requires significant focus, concentration, and creativity? Or that not having much time to review and revise your work will result in lower quality than if you did have the chance to improve it?
Kind of strikes me as a "Breaking news - water is wet!" announcement.
I agree with that. Seems like fairly common sense. Process for a developer is to be immersed into their code and to constantly improve it so when there's no time to do that and high pressure, then it's obviously going to be lower end result quality.
For example, if you're under the pump and have unrealistic deadlines, you are more likely going to write less quality code. Not because you're trying to cut corners, but because when you have the time, you go over your code an improve it about five times before submitting it and have a freer mind to do that.
What are your thoughts?