The following technical research essay discusses the harmful effects stress has on college students, the barriers that prevent student in seeking help, and possible solutions that will aid in students achieving higher success in their studies. After introducing the topic, the essay is begun by informing the reader of how stress is developed and giving insight on how stressful situations all begin with deciding that your circumstance is a stressor. Further on the author discusses common stressors that college students face and have difficulty in coping with on their own. The effects of stress are then listed out and barriers on seeking help are found to be a key indicator on why stress seems to be a constant issue. The barriers that were discussed were the stigma of mental and physical illnesses, lack of trust in counselors, lack of easy access to counseling, and the stigma of seeking tutoring. Following these barriers are potential solutions that can aid in reducing the amount of stress student have or preventing them in general.
Keywords: Public stigma, self-stigma, mental illness, barriers, counseling, stress balls, and stress.
Introduction
Emerging into adulthood comes with many new opportunities and new seasons of life. Early adult years can be very exciting, however, for many individuals it comes with obstacles such as stress (). There is an issue of the effects stress has on students and an even larger issue on the way some students are coping with it. Issues such as
College is a time of extreme stress due to societal and parental pressures. College students have expectations they have to live up to in order to fulfill and satisfy the needs of both their parents and society. Stress is expressed through a variety of symptoms that can be hazardous to student’s physical and mental health. With such high expectations to do well during college, students may become sleep deprived, which impairs mental capacity, but sleep deprivation is only one of a vast array of symptoms. Stress is present in all aspects of life and there are multiple causes of stress, especially, during the college period which may present itself through many symptoms, but with stress, there are also various coping methods to help students
“Although, some students can take on increased pressure; other students will develop anxiety or depression” (Damer & Melendres. 2011). According to a study provided by 67 counselors from 54 different colleges from all over the United States, the most common mental health problems in community college students were general anxiety disorders at 84.8%, depression at 89.4% and stress at 89.4% (Katz & Davison. 2014). In another study 25% of students reported having mental health problems which included anxiety, and only 8% of students had been diagnosed with depression (Hussain et al. 2013).
Its common knowledge that emerging adult college students can be under heavy amounts of both positive and negative stress. Especially because higher education can pose opportunities and risks. The purpose of the study done by Justin W. Peter, Stephen B. Hillman and Emma Van Hoet was to analyze how stress influenced the lives of emerging adults as well as whether or not they managed it effectively.
Deciding to go to college is the hardest decision a student can make and the most stressful. Caused by many reasons, the stress is present whether one is in their first year of college or their last. Deciding to attend college is frightening for students; this is because it means going into the world and growing up. Along with the decision come a number of stressful responsibilities and changes that a student has to put up with. The reasons for so much stress fall into one of three categories: academic stress, which has anything to do with studying for classes, financial stress, which has to do with paying for school, and personal stress. Many students experience stress, and they have to combine their busy lives and the demands of college and still make time for themselves. We all experience stress in college getting ready for exams, completing papers, or adjusting to college life. We all know that being stressed for a long time may cause health issues. Although stress can be harmful at times, it can also be good and stimulating. Stress can also be good, because of facing new challenges helps students grow up and learn new things. Dealing with academic and personal stressors is the hardest part about college, and it will interfere with personal life and help experiment life’s options.
Stress is unavoidable, no matter the situation, location, or time; stress is always present. Stress is found in higher levels during the duration in which students attend college. It is predictably higher among college students, freshmans in particular, because of the extreme expectations set upon them by their parents and, of course, society. The need to please their parents, longing for success in life, and being able to sustain a reasonable income in the future, all of which falls into the hands of college students who are making critical decisions which may decide the outcome for a large portion of their lives. If these students end up hating their future jobs, the stress of having to go back into college to study for a new career
Although stress and mental health may seem like a broad, indefinitely, undefinable issue on college campuses, I feel as if it is controversial and by far one of the most serious. Stress can cause untold damage to a person’s mental health if the stress is untreated and predominate in one’s life and can cause other serious effect on their mental health and life. I think everyone can agree that college students are under tremendous amounts of stress as they try to balance friends, social life, significant others, young adult life, college classes, studying, and homework. However, while most students agree that the stress they are under is too much and they could perform better without it me- I agree despite being in high school and taking college
With an increased demand for skilled labors, many students nowadays find themselves needing to complete some form of higher education at college to ensure their success in the workplace and their future career goals. Although freshmen students often enter college with high expectations and ambitions, many eventually drop out of college. Why does that happen? In an ever-changing and more competitive environment, the demanding expectations on college students now soar at unprecedented heights, creating stressful and unpleasant experiences for many of them as they try to keep up with all the burdens inflicted upon them. In their writings, Dr. Christine B. Whelan, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alan Schwartz, and Nisha Ramachandran explore and illustrate some of the stress-creating challenges that freshmen struggle with today. Even though many factors contribute to the huge list of problems for first-year students, many of the problems that create stress for college freshmen fall under the categories of academic factors, (what adverb to add) teachers, and personal-life conflicts.
We are all aware about the amount of stress that high school seniors go through due to the unpleasant college application process and being able to make effective post secondary decisions. This stress can lead to many downfalls like eating disorders, health issues, headaches, and even suicide. Research shows that the final year of high school is the most stressful due to the difficult college application process and at the same time being able to make post-secondary plans and decisions. Another stressful aspect that all seniors must go through is being able to make financial decisions. Students are apprehensive about the loan process and being in debt their whole lives. This leads to a lot of tension and stress. Having a counseling group like the one I will discuss in this paper will help to decrease seniors’ stress levels and to provide support to students with the aforementioned stress, fear, and indecisions. This paper will cover the following topics: rationale of forming a stress management group, research that shows that first year college freshman are unable to cope with stress and why most commit
Around 18.2 million to 19.7 million students enroll in college every year. Whereas about 7,000 students drop out every day. Many students have different problems that make them decide between crosswords whether to stick to education or go a different route in life. There are many causes and effects due to the amount of stress college students go through daily. I know this because I've been a college student for about 3 months and experience stress almost every day. Three main causes why college students experience stress is because of academic stressors, social stressors, and daily hassles. Which leads to dropouts, weight issues, and unhealthy habits.
Stress is no new phenomenon. It’s been around as long as man and has captivated scholars and physicians alike. With the growing demand for degrees in the professional world comes the growth of the number of college students. The relationship between stress and college students has become the subject of on-going research. Several studies show that stress in college students is increasing with time and the authors of those studies are attributing this to an increased number of students. Other research seems to indicate that it isn’t necessarily the stress that is increasing but the awareness of it. Increased awareness of stress, and its unique toll on individuals, allows colleges and students to recognize
Your heart rate steadily increases, your vision sharpens, your muscles tense, and you begin to sweat. This is all a natural response of the human body to distressing events. The body reacts to stress by activating the nervous system and releasing hormones, which enhances an individual’s ability to work while under pressure. Stress isn’t always blamed on abrupt events, but can also by at fault of a long-lasting situation. Stress is a healthy occurrence, but only in moderation. Long-term stress can release a constant stream of stress hormones over a prolonged period of time, wearing down the body’s energy, and immune system, leaving a person feeling overwhelmed and tired (Lyness). School students, especially those enrolled in
Nontraditional student numbers continue to rise on college campuses and few institutions meet the mental health needs for this special group of students (Carney-Crompton & Tan, 2002). It is the purpose of this study to examine both the stressors (i.e. triggers of the stress response) and perceived stress levels between traditional and nontraditional students.
This film is about stress levels in students lives. It was about the pressures of balancing homework, studying, sports, extracurricular activities, and family life. It chronicled elementary age students, high-school students, and a couple of college students.
Over the years many studies have been conducted to determine what creates stress and how college students can cope with stress. Stressors in a student’s life can be created through personal, educational and social experiences. A student faces many experiences while transitioning from high school, to college, and into adulthood. These experiences include: living arrangements, personal finances, important career decisions, experiences of failure, interpersonal relationships, and personal finances. These stressors involved with daily hassles can create an unhealthy high pressure environment which makes stress for college students inevitable. During one study, researchers found that physical activity throughout a student’s life can increase one’s stress tolerance and positively cope with stressors (Bland, Melton, Bigham, & Welle, 2012).
“Today's students may be more stressed than ever before. In fact, the 2015 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment found that 85.6 percent of students had felt overwhelmed in the past year. The pressures of getting top grades, balancing extracurricular activities with studying, and spending time with family all add up,” (Carlson). Statistics show that students’ stress levels are rising and the newly found stress causes negative effects. Surveys and studies have shown that the stress has come from the school system and its attributes. The extreme levels of stress are the main foundation for many issues to sprout and cause problems for the students. Besides causing issues, the stress teenagers have led them to deplorable outlets that hurt them in the long run. The research shows, that the high school setting is the cause of teenagers being extremely stressed out, the stress causes issues, and it has caused them to turn to destructive outlets.