Mental health articles

common causes of stress among students Like everyone else, students have individual responses to similar situations.
Giving a 10-minute presentation, having a fi rst date, or moving across country
to attend college may be experienced as excitingly positive or disturbingly
stressful, depending on the individual.
While reactions to potential stressors vary, the situations that tend to put
the most pressure on students revolve around academic demands (doing
papers, examinations, presentations; being frequently evaluated; having to
fulfi ll academic requirements in areas where a student lacks interest or skill);
the pressure of tackling too many tasks (academics, part-time jobs, social
activities, family obligations) in too little time; social expectations and fi tting
in socially; and roommate confl icts.
How stressed are students? In a recent survey by the ACHA, more than 92%
of students report feeling overwhelmed occasionally by all that is required
of them, and 33% report stress signifi cant enough to interfere with their academic success, oft en resulting in dropped courses (ACHA, 2004; Kadison
& DiGeronimo, 2004).
As is true of the general population, many students develop pathological
stress-management strategies. Not only are these strategies ineff ective in relieving
stress, they create more problems and thus add to the stress level. Excessive
alcohol consumption is a prime example, since it involves an assault on the
neurological system, lowers coping skills in academics and relationships, and
may lead to disastrous consequences such as sexual assaults, disciplinary or
legal violations, or suicidal attempts. Smoking and drug use can also be seen as
maladaptive responses to stress, and even the excessive use of caff eine clearly
qualifi es as an ineff ective and self-defeating stress reducer. Unhealthy eating,
whether overeating or restricting, also results in psychological and physiological
problems. Irritability and expressions of anger are natural responses when a
student feels under stress, but, again, these tend to make matters worse.
Another common self-defeating stress response is avoidance of responsibilities—
for example, putting off writing a dreaded paper by doing something neutral
like talking with friends, or negative like drinking excessively. Students who’ve
fallen behind in reading may stop reading altogether, and those who’ve missed
a class may simply stop attending. Avoidance successfully reduces stress in the
moment; the student briefl y escapes the distressing situation. But since papers
must be written, tests taken, books read, and classes attended, avoidance only
puts off the day of reckoning and ends up magnifying the student’s problems.
It is not diffi cult to make a connection between ineff ective stress management
and various psychological disorders. A student who avoids stressful academic
situations and then demeans herself for doing so may end up feeling
frightened, hopeless, self-blaming—and depressed. A student who responds to
pressure with alcohol or drug abuse may develop a chronic problem. Th us psychological
disorders interfere with functioning and so cause stress, but stress
in turn can be a major factor in the development of psychological disorders.

Tags: stress