The Struggle With Stress And Anxiety Among Post-Secondary Students

In the article, “High Anxiety”, the author, Sandra Long Weaver, analyzes the recent spike in anxiety and depression among college students. Weaver explains that the main problem students are facing when they enter college is anxiety and from that they suffer from depression. She explains that young adults are more aware of life events that affect them such as the job prospect. She explains how increased academic standards and parent involvement contributes to the immense rise of these disorders among college students In a student survey she states that over 50% of students suffer from anxiety because of the academic struggles.

Students need healthy, nutritious food choices to fuel their mind and bodies. Students experiencing food insecurity either don’t have enough food to eat or are eating a poor, nutrient- deficient diet. Either way, poor diets can affect the student’s physical and mental health which can lead to interruptions in their learning. Universities need to gather statistics on the portion of their student population affected by food insecurity and work towards a remedy. Not only does the student benefit from university interventions, but the university benefits by graduating students that are healthy, well-educated and have an instilled sense of the community involvement needed to invest in the future.

With over 2600 students in grades 9-12, and a caseload of 400+, maintaining and developing socially, emotionally, and balanced students can be a challenge when student abilities do not always match the expectations of stakeholders. Though my school is diverse, socioeconomic status is a contributing factor when it comes to expectations, college admittance, and overall student success. Socioeconomic status increases stress because parents expect their child to get into a top university, and many are not open to a community college, even if that is what would be best for the student. For these reasons, I have identified stress and anxiety as the identified critical need. Of last year’s graduating class, 92% attended a college or university, with 63% of those attending a four-year institution. In addition, our school administered over 550 Advanced Placement (AP) exams to 10th–12th

It is because of these obligations that many students develop stress related disorders such as anxiety or depression. Current research supports the need for a program such as Fit for 15. Shearer, Hunt, Chowdhury, & Nicol (2016) of the University of Pennsylvania researched and studied the effects of being mindful of stressors on college students. College students undergo a high level of stress, and if it is not properly managed, an individual can have more serious mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or emotional coping outlets (Shearer, Hunt, Chowdhury, & Nicol, 2016). Effects of depression and anxiety onset by stress can be detrimental to a student’s performance. It is associated with an increase in absenteeism, school failure, substance abuse, and suicide (Hysenbegasi,

Stress is a well known part of college. Even if prepared the long papers, painstaking testes, and unforgiving reading can be emotionally draining. Stress can also be cause by money, relationships and many other events that happen in ones life. One way people cope with emotions is by eating. Most of the time the food consumed when emotion eating is unhealthy and in large proportions. According to a study of college students and their cardiovascular health, almost 60 percent college students said their stress level as being high or

The magnitude of anxiety is rapidly rising each year among adolescents through college students. The scope of the problem is that mental illnesses is not taken as seriously as it should be among students of all ages. The mild cases of mental illness start with a stressor which then leads to anxiety. The transition from anxiety to depression is devastating among students, and with depression that can lead to higher suicide rates. Credibility is established with Campus Health article on mental illnesses stated, “19.6 percent of students experienced depression and 8.9 percent experienced seasonal affective disorder… 13.4 percent of students experienced an anxiety disorder” (Scope of the Problem, para. 2). Through extensive researcher of anxiety and its effects on humanity, the illness justifies itself for why it is important to public health.

The current education system is a danger to students’ mental health, and a change would allow for a reduction in the stress of students. In high school, students stress over grades because those grades determine the colleges they can attend; in college, however, grades might affect “future job prospects and financial well-being” (Reis). In this sense, students have no control over their failure or success, particularly when they cannot understand what is expected of them on a project or test. This is typically a cause for conflicts between students and teachers. Teachers, of course, are always to blame

In a survey done by the American Psychological Association, they found that 30 percent of teens were dealing with feelings of sadness or depression due to stress, while 31 percent felt overwhelmed. This is not new information. With standardized testing designed to make-or-break a student, homework, preparing for college, sports, extracurriculars, and spending time with family and friends, it is no wonder an average student’s anxiety is high- even higher than adults. Standardized testing, huge onslaughts of homework, and the pressure of getting into prestigious universities are all factors that induce stress, anxiety, and even depression.

With the increase of financial aid and assistance in the college admissions process, it has made it easier for families to afford to send their children to college. This has lead to a spike in the competitive nature seen in high schools throughout the nation as students strive to outshine their peers. Instead of focusing on getting good grades to better themselves, students now strive for the better grade in order to stand out amongst their class. This pressure to excel above their peers indeed causes detrimental effects to a student’s mental health and academic performances as they consume a large portion of their time focusing on bettering their grades and ignore bettering themselves and their actual education.

College represents a form of higher learning. For many, it is also a time for personal growth as we transition into adulthood. This in itself is a stressful situation as one must make drastic adjustments to a new role, environment, and demands. Stress is a major contributor to the development of mental and emotional issues (Rodgers, L., Tennison, L. 2009). Research has been done to determine the impact of depression and anxiety on university students. It has been

Generalized anxiety is a problem that the United States faces nationwide. As we grow older and move into educational settings that are more taxing, anxiety becomes more prevalent. Today, college students are facing more stress than ever before. They are constantly pushed to be the best they can be, to be in the most extracurricular activities they can be in, and to attend the best schools possible. All of these goals and high expectations lead students to be harder on themselves, which makes other aspects of their life fall by the wayside, leading to high levels of stress and pressure.

Anxiety and Depression disorders are two of the most common mental disorders in the United States (Falsafi, 2016). It appears that the two disorders are widespread amongst college students and most cannot manage the high demands and stress (Falsafi, 2016). Therefore, they feel more prone to depression and anxiety (Falsafi, 2016). According to the authors Miller & Chung, mental health amongst college students in the United States is a growing public health concern and educators are concerned about the low academic performance of college students and how it influences their mental health (Miller, & Chung, 2009). Research indicates that university students suffer with low grades and poor academic performances, while trying to manage depression and anxiety (Falsafi, 2016). With the consistence of higher drop out rates, it is imperative that colleges and universities create programs that assist students with managing their depression and anxiety to help them through their education.

Eating habits are closely associated with our perception of eating. There can be also exogenous factors that affects our eating habits such as getting low mark from the exam or ending of a romantic relationship. Some people tend to be eat more or less depends on these triggering situations. This study will examine the relationship between stress and eating disorder among üniversity students. (They will not be clinically diagnosed) Eating disorders will be measured by using Eating Attitudes Test and stress level will be measured by using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale. Data will be collected from 100 male and female university students in a campus setting and via e-mail. It is expected that students who have high stress level tend to have disturbed attitude toward eating which may leads to eating disorder. It is not a cause and effect relationship ,but Eating Attitudes Test will reflect students ' tendency to have eating disorder. Also, abnormal eating patterns will be included in this article such as bulimia, binge eating and anorexia.

Students’ state of mental and emotional health will contribute to the way that stress manifests and presents itself, once he or she enters college. “The emerging categories related to sleep and health problems could be a manifestation of a general increasing level of stress and psychopathology” (Murphy and Archer 26). There are a great number of studies, both past and on going, of stress and college students which have mainly focused on academics, personal relationships, finance and family status. A more in depth look has revealed that students with emotional disorders or those of poor health are even more ill equipped to

In the past, just getting into college was considered to be good enough but that is not the case in the present day. “There’s a consistent urgency that you have to be the best” applied to High School students. In my opinion, more pressure is applied to students due to the fact that most students perform almost at the same level. I think that this leads to a big race between students, each trying to go the extra step than the rest. Educators are seeing more and more students suffering from depression, anxiety and social phobia. It is no shock to me that there is such a rise in this areas because the students keep all this to themselves and it slowly grows inside them. I think that this is what causes stress in students until they get to the point where “everything just shattered.” Modern students have a daily race with other students, pressure from their parents or school is use as fuel for that race when they have no one to let it out to, stress builds until they break.