Especially during a time such as this, I wanted to conduct more research on the stress of college students, in hopes to improve my teaching methods in order to inflict as little stress on my students as possible. Stress is an inevitable aspect of a college student’s life as they learn to grapple with issues such as autonomy from parents, self-sufficiency, gender identity, internalized moral reasoning, career choice, etc. Thus, these students are struggling with increased academic, personal, social, and moral pressures that can lead to anxiety, loneliness, depression, hopelessness, headaches, sleep disturbances, colds, and sometimes suicidal ideation.
As described in this article, stress is a transaction between the environment or situation and the person, which results in the perception of cognitive appraisal that the demands of the situation exceed the individual’s resources available to meet or cope with those demands.
I believe that it is our job as educators to offer our students ways to reduce these levels of stress. In this study, researchers have examined effective methods, concluding that mediation and relaxation are two effective variables in reducing stress. Encouraging that students set aside time for themselves to recharge is essential to improving their mental state and lowering their stress levels.
Another simple, yet effective means of reducing stress is physical activity. According to Brown (1992), physical activity and fitness helped mediate the effects of negative stress in a sample of college students, whereas leisure-time physical activity was enough to decrease the effects of daily stressors in undergraduate college students.
One of the most effective types of physical activity found to reduce physiological and psychological stress is cardiovascular exercise.
“Unfortunately, very few research studies have attempted to determine whether one treatment is more effective than another within the same study. This highlights the importance of the present research study in delineating between which method or strategy might be the most effective stress reducer,” the article explains.
In an experiment conducted by Berger et al. (1988), they compared exercise, relaxation response, social interaction, and a no-treatment control group — and it was found that the exercise and relaxation groups had reduced stress levels, however, all three treatment techniques were significantly more effective than no treatment at all.
Overall, “stress is a process, not a static moment in time” and while it is partially up to the students to determine what methods work best for them when navigating the difficulties of college life, it is also partially up to us, the teachers, to help guide them through this adjustment. Presenting ways in which to minimize or lessen stress is one step we can take to improve our students’ learning experience.
If you’re interested in reading further on this study conducted by Timothy Baghurts and Betty C. Kelley, a link to their article can be found here:
An Examination of Stress in College Students Over the Course of a Semester
I hope you find this helpful!
Sincerely,
Cameron