Stress causes many college students trouble as they go through college and many people are still affected years after their academic career is over. Stress, according to Merriam Webster, is, “A state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life”. This can sometimes overwhelm a person while they are in college. College student’s responsibilities are always increasing whether it is academics, social life, sports, work, or family. This build up of stress causes serious health problems, which could potentially end a person’s life. Research has proven that there is a gender relation to how much perceived stress a student has, as well as helped realize more symptoms of stress. There are also ways to cope with stress or at least help reduce it, but schools are not promoting enough of these methods to help their students. This research review will talk about history briefly and current research including the main topics of research: gender relation, symptoms of stress, stress over years of college, and coping with stress.
History:
In the early 1900’s people thought college was a place where you have fun and even meet your significant other. Significant research has shown that most college kids were under an enormous amount of stress and it wasn’t just fun and games. Without this research and the help of others, people would have never known some of the causes of stress on college students, and want to learn more about this stress, as well as help set the bar for research being done today.
In 2006 research done by Nguyen‐Michel, Unger, Hamilton, and Spruijt‐Metz concluded that physical activity was found to reduce stress, but that “based on beta estimates, physical activity may not produce a very large change in stress” (...
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... and students are tested in more elusive ways to prove their knowledge. Kreig (2013) did a survey on students when they first started college and at the end of their college career. Kreig stated, “students reported similar levels of stress during the first and senior years”(Kreig 2013). But short term stressed increased when expectations were not met academically. This is caused when college students have numerous major events due or occurring at the same time. During finals week, stress increases tremendously in college students; this is a form of temporary stress, which will decrease when this event is over. Welle, and Graf (2011) research suggests that stress is higher in the beginning of college due to the fact that the transition is a major change in the student’s life. This stress will decrease when they settle in and get adjusted to what is expected of them.
In the essay “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, Zinsser speaks about the pressures and anxiety that plague college students, all the while wishing that they had “a chance to savor each segment of their education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for the next step.” Referring to the 1979 generation of college students as “panicky to succeed”, he lists four of the following stressors for college students.
Everyone has experienced some type of stress in their life. Whether it has been from work, school, or trouble at home, stress is stress. If anyone had played sports in high school, you know the challenge of balancing school and sports. Imagine that stress, then multiply it exponentially. Everyone knows that college is a much more rigorous version of high school.
In 2014 the APA did a study and it showed that college level students are far more stresses than adults (APA). Especially during
4 Giancola, J.K., Grawitch, M.J., and Borchert, D. (2009). Dealing with the stress of college: A
National Health Ministries (2006). Stress & The College Student. The University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.uic.edu/depts/wellctr/docs/Stress%20and%20the%20College%20Student.pdf
Studies have shown that many college students are not able to handle the stress while in school, which hinders the ability for the brain to act in a normal way (Shahrokh and Hales, 2003). If a person is unable to deal with the stress that one is being faced with, it will have negative consequences in terms of causing several psychological disorders (Canby et al., 2014). Entering post-secondary education is a completely new environment for students, as it can be tough for many to adjust to the new surroundings. There are many factors that cause stress when students enter college, as it can include having the ability to deal with lower marks (Struthers et al., 2000) and having to create a new social life. Once and if a social life is established, it can cause more stress among students because it can lead into peer pressure that results in risky behavior. In particular, peer pressure can cause alcoholism or drug abuse (Seiffge-Krenke, 1990) or it can also cause unprotected sex. Not only does stress revolve around peer-pressure, but it can also be caused by headaches and lack of energy. If a student is constantly staying up late to finish assignments or to study, it can cause headaches from the lack of sleep; thus causing stress. With all the given factors, it can be hard to overcome these external factors which can ultimately lead to stress among
Lutz, R. S., Stults-Kolehmainen, M. A., & Bartholomew, J. B. (2010). Exercise caution when stressed: Stages of change and the stress- exercise participation relationship. Psycology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 560-567.
Driscoll, Emily. “Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it.” Online posting. 31
College students face strenuous workloads daily, causing them to feel more pressure about their schoolwork and academics and resulting in anxiousness. About 50% of college students today are suffering from depression, a larger number than most believe, but not all reveal that they have a depressive issue (Deroma, Leach, Leverett 325). Researchers suggest that academic stress plays a big role in a college student’s depression. Most people know that college is a lot harder than high school ...
Everyone deals with stress at some point in his or her life. Most people deal with it daily. As defined in the book called Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness, stress is, “The mental, emotional, and physiological response of the body to any situation that is new, threatening, frightening, or exciting” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). This stress is caused by a stressor, which is also known as “a stress-causing event” (Hoeger & Hoeger, 2012). Stressors can take all different forms, from moving to a new town, having a baby, or even writing a paper (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). One major stressor in life can be going to college. If not coped with properly, these stressors can leave a person with too much stress that could end up harming them mentally and physically, such as developing an illness (Boyd, Wood, & Wood, 2011). There are several ways to cope with stress. Some healthy ways to cope with stress would be practicing emotion-focused coping, building time-management techniques, and practicing meditation.
Driscoll, E. (2013) Stress in College: What Causes it and How to Combat it, FOX Business, 73(12)
Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid. These feeling can also lead to you having a stomachache or a headache. When you're stressed you may not feel like sleeping or eating. You also may feel cranky or have trouble paying attention at school and remembering things. Having a little stress can be good sometimes, but when you’re in college that is defiantly something you want to keep under control. Another reason for stress is the financial strain a person can experience when trying to progress in school. Learning to budget money is one of the most realistic lessons of attending college. This is one more way a student may feel vulnerable. Financial pressure is the number one reason why students drop out. A college student may become distracted with work in order to live comfo...
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.
Exercise lowers symptoms for stress related illnesses. As people start to perform cardio, their stress levels start to relieve and evolves into a sense of control over their body and life. Once the body learns how to rest, it makes it easier for mind control to take place. Instead of being so overworked over certain feelings, it becomes simpler to think things through. Unfortunately, about forty percent of adults undergo health consequences due to stress (WebMD). This number wouldn’t have been so high if the patients participated in physical activities, such as running, from a young age. Many don’t realize that the small investment they make determines a portion of their future. Remaining physically inactive can serve to be a disservice to one’s body and mind. Since exercise is an outlet for frustration, it can be a healthy and effective way to release these negative
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 deal with it.