thesis statement for stress among college students

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Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being in College Students: Correlations, Affected Groups, and COVID-19

Georgia barbayannis.

1 Department of Neurology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States

Mahindra Bandari

Xiang zheng.

2 Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States

Humberto Baquerizo

3 Office for Diversity and Community Engagement, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States

Keith W. Pecor

4 Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, United States

Associated Data

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Academic stress may be the single most dominant stress factor that affects the mental well-being of college students. Some groups of students may experience more stress than others, and the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic could further complicate the stress response. We surveyed 843 college students and evaluated whether academic stress levels affected their mental health, and if so, whether there were specific vulnerable groups by gender, race/ethnicity, year of study, and reaction to the pandemic. Using a combination of scores from the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS) and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), we found a significant correlation between worse academic stress and poor mental well-being in all the students, who also reported an exacerbation of stress in response to the pandemic. In addition, SWEMWBS scores revealed the lowest mental health and highest academic stress in non-binary individuals, and the opposite trend was observed for both the measures in men. Furthermore, women and non-binary students reported higher academic stress than men, as indicated by PAS scores. The same pattern held as a reaction to COVID-19-related stress. PAS scores and responses to the pandemic varied by the year of study, but no obvious patterns emerged. These results indicate that academic stress in college is significantly correlated to psychological well-being in the students who responded to this survey. In addition, some groups of college students are more affected by stress than others, and additional resources and support should be provided to them.

Introduction

Late adolescence and emerging adulthood are transitional periods marked by major physiological and psychological changes, including elevated stress (Hogan and Astone, 1986 ; Arnett, 2000 ; Shanahan, 2000 ; Spear, 2000 ; Scales et al., 2015 ; Romeo et al., 2016 ; Barbayannis et al., 2017 ; Chiang et al., 2019 ; Lally and Valentine-French, 2019 ; Matud et al., 2020 ). This pattern is particularly true for college students. According to a 2015 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment survey, three in four college students self-reported feeling stressed, while one in five college students reported stress-related suicidal ideation (Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; American Psychological Association, 2020 ). Studies show that a stressor experienced in college may serve as a predictor of mental health diagnoses (Pedrelli et al., 2015 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Karyotaki et al., 2020 ). Indeed, many mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorder, begin during this period (Blanco et al., 2008 ; Pedrelli et al., 2015 ; Saleh et al., 2017 ; Reddy et al., 2018 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ).

Stress experienced by college students is multi-factorial and can be attributed to a variety of contributing factors (Reddy et al., 2018 ; Karyotaki et al., 2020 ). A growing body of evidence suggests that academic-related stress plays a significant role in college (Misra and McKean, 2000 ; Dusselier et al., 2005 ; Elias et al., 2011 ; Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ; Hj Ramli et al., 2018 ; Reddy et al., 2018 ; Pascoe et al., 2020 ). For instance, as many as 87% of college students surveyed across the United States cited education as their primary source of stress (American Psychological Association, 2020 ). College students are exposed to novel academic stressors, such as an extensive academic course load, substantial studying, time management, classroom competition, financial concerns, familial pressures, and adapting to a new environment (Misra and Castillo, 2004 ; Byrd and McKinney, 2012 ; Ekpenyong et al., 2013 ; Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ; Ketchen Lipson et al., 2015 ; Pedrelli et al., 2015 ; Reddy et al., 2018 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Freire et al., 2020 ; Karyotaki et al., 2020 ). Academic stress can reduce motivation, hinder academic achievement, and lead to increased college dropout rates (Pascoe et al., 2020 ).

Academic stress has also been shown to negatively impact mental health in students (Li and Lin, 2003 ; Eisenberg et al., 2009 ; Green et al., 2021 ). Mental, or psychological, well-being is one of the components of positive mental health, and it includes happiness, life satisfaction, stress management, and psychological functioning (Ryan and Deci, 2001 ; Tennant et al., 2007 ; Galderisi et al., 2015 ; Trout and Alsandor, 2020 ; Defeyter et al., 2021 ; Green et al., 2021 ). Positive mental health is an understudied but important area that helps paint a more comprehensive picture of overall mental health (Tennant et al., 2007 ; Margraf et al., 2020 ). Moreover, positive mental health has been shown to be predictive of both negative and positive mental health indicators over time (Margraf et al., 2020 ). Further exploring the relationship between academic stress and mental well-being is important because poor mental well-being has been shown to affect academic performance in college (Tennant et al., 2007 ; Eisenberg et al., 2009 ; Freire et al., 2016 ).

Perception of academic stress varies among different groups of college students (Lee et al., 2021 ). For instance, female college students report experiencing increased stress than their male counterparts (Misra et al., 2000 ; Eisenberg et al., 2007 ; Evans et al., 2018 ; Lee et al., 2021 ). Male and female students also respond differently to stressors (Misra et al., 2000 ; Verma et al., 2011 ). Moreover, compared to their cisgender peers, non-binary students report increased stressors and mental health issues (Budge et al., 2020 ). The academic year of study of the college students has also been shown to impact academic stress levels (Misra and McKean, 2000 ; Elias et al., 2011 ; Wyatt et al., 2017 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Defeyter et al., 2021 ). While several studies indicate that racial/ethnic minority groups of students, including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian American students, are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and suicidality than their white peers (Lesure-Lester and King, 2004 ; Lipson et al., 2018 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Kodish et al., 2022 ), these studies are limited and often report mixed or inconclusive findings (Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Kodish et al., 2022 ). Therefore, more studies should be conducted to address this gap in research to help identify subgroups that may be disproportionately impacted by academic stress and lower well-being.

The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major stressor that has led to a mental health crisis (American Psychological Association, 2020 ; Dong and Bouey, 2020 ). For college students, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes and disruptions to daily life, elevated stress levels, and mental and physical health deterioration (American Psychological Association, 2020 ; Husky et al., 2020 ; Patsali et al., 2020 ; Son et al., 2020 ; Clabaugh et al., 2021 ; Lee et al., 2021 ; Lopes and Nihei, 2021 ; Yang et al., 2021 ). While any college student is vulnerable to these stressors, these concerns are amplified for members of minority groups (Salerno et al., 2020 ; Clabaugh et al., 2021 ; McQuaid et al., 2021 ; Prowse et al., 2021 ; Kodish et al., 2022 ). Identifying students at greatest risk provides opportunities to offer support, resources, and mental health services to specific subgroups.

The overall aim of this study was to assess academic stress and mental well-being in a sample of college students. Within this umbrella, we had several goals. First, to determine whether a relationship exists between the two constructs of perceived academic stress, measured by the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS), and mental well-being, measured by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), in college students. Second, to identify groups that could experience differential levels of academic stress and mental health. Third, to explore how the perception of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affected stress levels. We hypothesized that students who experienced more academic stress would have worse psychological well-being and that certain groups of students would be more impacted by academic- and COVID-19-related stress.

Materials and Methods

Survey instrument.

A survey was developed that included all questions from the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being (Tennant et al., 2007 ; Stewart-Brown and Janmohamed, 2008 ) and from the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ). The Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale is a seven-item scale designed to measure mental well-being and positive mental health (Tennant et al., 2007 ; Fung, 2019 ; Shah et al., 2021 ). The Perception of Academic Stress Scale is an 18-item scale designed to assess sources of academic stress perceived by individuals and measures three main academic stressors: academic expectations, workload and examinations, and academic self-perceptions of students (Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ). These shorter scales were chosen to increase our response and study completion rates (Kost and de Rosa, 2018 ). Both tools have been shown to be valid and reliable in college students with Likert scale responses (Tennant et al., 2007 ; Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ; Ringdal et al., 2018 ; Fung, 2019 ; Koushede et al., 2019 ). Both the SWEMWBS and PAS scores are a summation of responses to the individual questions in the instruments. For the SWEMWBS questions, a higher score indicates better mental health, and scores range from 7 to 35. Similarly, the PAS questions are phrased such that a higher score indicates lower levels of stress, and scores range from 18 to 90. We augmented the survey with demographic questions (e.g., age, gender, and race/ethnicity) at the beginning of the survey and two yes/no questions and one Likert scale question about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of our survey.

Participants for the study were self-reported college students between the ages of 18 and 30 years who resided in the United States, were fluent in English, and had Internet access. Participants were solicited through Prolific ( https://prolific.co ) in October 2021. A total of 1,023 individuals enrolled in the survey. Three individuals did not agree to participate after beginning the survey. Two were not fluent in English. Thirteen individuals indicated that they were not college students. Two were not in the 18–30 age range, and one was located outside of the United States. Of the remaining individuals, 906 were full-time students and 96 were part-time students. Given the skew of the data and potential differences in these populations, we removed the part-time students. Of the 906 full-time students, 58 indicated that they were in their fifth year of college or higher. We understand that not every student completes their undergraduate studies in 4 years, but we did not want to have a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students with no way to differentiate them. Finally, one individual reported their age as a non-number, and four individuals did not answer a question about their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This yielded a final sample of 843 college students.

Data Analyses

After reviewing the dataset, some variables were removed from consideration due to a lack of consistency (e.g., some students reported annual income for themselves and others reported family income) or heterogeneity that prevented easy categorization (e.g., field of study). We settled on four variables of interest: gender, race/ethnicity, year in school, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic ( Table 1 ). Gender was coded as female, male, or non-binary. Race/ethnicity was coded as white or Caucasian; Black or African American; East Asian; Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin; or other. Other was used for groups that were not well-represented in the sample and included individuals who identified themselves as Middle Eastern, Native American or Alaskan Native, and South Asian, as well as individuals who chose “other” or “prefer not to answer” on the survey. The year of study was coded as one through four, and COVID-19 stress was coded as two groups, no change/neutral response/reduced stress or increased stress.

Characteristics of the participants in the study.

Our first goal was to determine whether there was a relationship between self-reported academic stress and mental health, and we found a significant correlation (see Results section). Given the positive correlation, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with a model testing the main effects of gender, race/ethnicity, and year of study was run in SPSS v 26.0. A factorial MANOVA would have been ideal, but our data were drawn from a convenience sample, which did not give equal representation to all groupings, and some combinations of gender, race/ethnicity, and year of study were poorly represented (e.g., a single individual). As such, we determined that it would be better to have a lack of interaction terms as a limitation to the study than to provide potentially spurious results. Finally, we used chi-square analyses to assess the effect of potential differences in the perception of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress levels in general among the groups in each category (gender, race/ethnicity, and year of study).

In terms of internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was 0.82 for the SMEMWBS and 0.86 for the PAS. A variety of descriptors have been applied to Cronbach's alpha values. That said, 0.7 is often considered a threshold value in terms of acceptable internal consistency, and our values could be considered “high” or “good” (Taber, 2018 ).

The participants in our study were primarily women (78.5% of respondents; Table 1 ). Participants were not equally distributed among races/ethnicities, with the majority of students selecting white or Caucasian (66.4% of responders; Table 1 ), or years of study, with fewer first-year students than other groups ( Table 1 ).

Students who reported higher academic stress also reported worse mental well-being in general, irrespective of age, gender, race/ethnicity, or year of study. PAS and SWEMWBS scores were significantly correlated ( r = 0.53, p < 0.001; Figure 1 ), indicating that a higher level of perceived academic stress is associated with worse mental well-being in college students within the United States.

SWEMWBS and PAS scores for all participants.

Among the subgroups of students, women, non-binary students, and second-year students reported higher academic stress levels and worse mental well-being ( Table 2 ; Figures 2 – 4 ). In addition, the combined measures differed significantly between the groups in each category ( Table 2 ). However, as measured by partial eta squared, the effect sizes were relatively small, given the convention of 0.01 = small, 0.06 = medium, and 0.14 = large differences (Lakens, 2013 ). As such, there were only two instances in which Tukey's post-hoc tests revealed more than one statistical grouping ( Figures 2 – 4 ). For SWEMWBS score by gender, women were intermediate between men (high) and non-binary individuals (low) and not significantly different from either group ( Figure 2 ). Second-year students had the lowest PAS scores for the year of study, and first-year students had the highest scores. Third- and fourth-year students were intermediate and not statistically different from the other two groups ( Figure 4 ). There were no pairwise differences in academic stress levels or mental well-being among racial/ethnic groups.

Results of the MANOVA.

SWEMWBS and PAS scores according to gender (mean ± SEM). Different letters for SWEMWBS scores indicate different statistical groupings ( p < 0.05).

SWEMWBS and PAS scores according to year in college (mean ± SEM). Different letters for PAS scores indicate different statistical groupings ( p < 0.05).

SWEMWBS and PAS scores according to race/ethnicity (mean ± SEM).

The findings varied among categories in terms of stress responses due to the COVID-19 pandemic ( Table 3 ). For gender, men were less likely than women or non-binary individuals to report increased stress from COVID-19 (χ 2 = 27.98, df = 2, p < 0.001). All racial/ethnic groups responded similarly to the pandemic (χ 2 = 3.41, df = 4, p < 0.49). For the year of study, first-year students were less likely than other cohorts to report increased stress from COVID-19 (χ 2 = 9.38, df = 3, p < 0.03).

Impact of COVID-19 on stress level by gender, race/ethnicity, and year of study.

Our primary findings showed a positive correlation between perceived academic stress and mental well-being in United States college students, suggesting that academic stressors, including academic expectations, workload and grading, and students' academic self-perceptions, are equally important as psychological well-being. Overall, irrespective of gender, race/ethnicity, or year of study, students who reported higher academic stress levels experienced diminished mental well-being. The utilization of well-established scales and a large sample size are strengths of this study. Our results extend and contribute to the existing literature on stress by confirming findings from past studies that reported higher academic stress and lower psychological well-being in college students utilizing the same two scales (Green et al., 2021 ; Syed, 2021 ). To our knowledge, the majority of other prior studies with similar findings examined different components of stress, studied negative mental health indicators, used different scales or methods, employed smaller sample sizes, or were conducted in different countries (Li and Lin, 2003 ; American Psychological Association, 2020 ; Husky et al., 2020 ; Pascoe et al., 2020 ; Patsali et al., 2020 ; Clabaugh et al., 2021 ; Lee et al., 2021 ; Lopes and Nihei, 2021 ; Yang et al., 2021 ).

This study also demonstrated that college students are not uniformly impacted by academic stress or pandemic-related stress and that there are significant group-level differences in mental well-being. Specifically, non-binary individuals and second-year students were disproportionately impacted by academic stress. When considering the effects of gender, non-binary students, in comparison to gender-conforming students, reported the highest stress levels and worst psychological well-being. Although there is a paucity of research examining the impact of academic stress in non-binary college students, prior studies have indicated that non-binary adults face adverse mental health outcomes when compared to male and female-identifying individuals (Thorne et al., 2018 ; Jones et al., 2019 ; Budge et al., 2020 ). Alarmingly, Lipson et al. ( 2019 ) found that gender non-conforming college students were two to four times more likely to experience mental health struggles than cisgender students (Lipson et al., 2019 ). With a growing number of college students in the United States identifying as as non-binary, additional studies could offer invaluable insight into how academic stress affects this population (Budge et al., 2020 ).

In addition, we found that second-year students reported the most academic-related distress and lowest psychological well-being relative to students in other years of study. We surmise this may be due to this group taking advanced courses, managing heavier academic workloads, and exploring different majors. Other studies support our findings and suggest higher stress levels could be attributed to increased studying and difficulties with time management, as well as having less well-established social support networks and coping mechanisms compared to upperclassmen (Allen and Hiebert, 1991 ; Misra and McKean, 2000 ; Liu, X et al., 2019 ). Benefiting from their additional experience, upperclassmen may have developed more sophisticated studying skills, formed peer support groups, and identified approaches to better manage their academic stress (Allen and Hiebert, 1991 ; Misra and McKean, 2000 ). Our findings suggest that colleges should consider offering tailored mental health resources, such as time management and study skill workshops, based on the year of study to improve students' stress levels and psychological well-being (Liu, X et al., 2019 ).

Although this study reported no significant differences regarding race or ethnicity, this does not indicate that minority groups experienced less academic stress or better mental well-being (Lee et al., 2021 ). Instead, our results may reflect the low sample size of non-white races/ethnicities, which may not have given enough statistical power to corroborate. In addition, since coping and resilience are important mediators of subjective stress experiences (Freire et al., 2020 ), we speculate that the lower ratios of stress reported in non-white participants in our study (75 vs. 81) may be because they are more accustomed to adversity and thereby more resilient (Brown, 2008 ; Acheampong et al., 2019 ). Furthermore, ethnic minority students may face stigma when reporting mental health struggles (Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Lee et al., 2021 ). For instance, studies showed that Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian American students disclose fewer mental health issues than white students (Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ; Lee et al., 2021 ). Moreover, the ability to identify stressors and mental health problems may manifest differently culturally for some minority groups (Huang and Zane, 2016 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ). Contrary to our findings, other studies cited racial disparities in academic stress levels and mental well-being of students. More specifically, Negga et al. ( 2007 ) concluded that African American college students were more susceptible to higher academic stress levels than their white classmates (Negga et al., 2007 ). Another study reported that minority students experienced greater distress and worse mental health outcomes compared to non-minority students (Smith et al., 2014 ). Since there may be racial disparities in access to mental health services at the college level, universities, professors, and counselors should offer additional resources to support these students while closely monitoring their psychological well-being (Lipson et al., 2018 ; Liu, C. H., et al., 2019 ).

While the COVID-19 pandemic increased stress levels in all the students included in our study, women, non-binary students, and upperclassmen were disproportionately affected. An overwhelming body of evidence suggests that the majority of college students experienced increased stress levels and worsening mental health as a result of the pandemic (Allen and Hiebert, 1991 ; American Psychological Association, 2020 ; Husky et al., 2020 ; Patsali et al., 2020 ; Son et al., 2020 ; Clabaugh et al., 2021 ; Lee et al., 2021 ; Yang et al., 2021 ). Our results also align with prior studies that found similar subgroups of students experience disproportionate pandemic-related distress (Gao et al., 2020 ; Clabaugh et al., 2021 ; Hunt et al., 2021 ; Jarrett et al., 2021 ; Lee et al., 2021 ; Chen and Lucock, 2022 ). In particular, the differences between female students and their male peers may be the result of different psychological and physiological responses to stress reactivity, which in turn may contribute to different coping mechanisms to stress and the higher rates of stress-related disorders experienced by women (Misra et al., 2000 ; Kajantie and Phillips, 2006 ; Verma et al., 2011 ; Gao et al., 2020 ; Graves et al., 2021 ). COVID-19 was a secondary consideration in our study and survey design, so the conclusions drawn here are necessarily limited.

The implications of this study are that college students facing increased stress and struggling with mental health issues should receive personalized and specific mental health services, resources, and support. This is particularly true for groups that have been disproportionately impacted by academic stress and stress due to the pandemic. Many students who experience mental health struggles underutilize college services due to cost, stigma, or lack of information (Cage et al., 2020 ; Lee et al., 2021 ). To raise awareness and destigmatize mental health, colleges can consider distributing confidential validated assessments, such as the PAS and SWEMWBS, in class and teach students to self-score (Lee et al., 2021 ). These results can be used to understand how academic stress and mental well-being change over time and allow for specific and targeted interventions for vulnerable groups. In addition, teaching students healthy stress management techniques has been shown to improve psychological well-being (Alborzkouh et al., 2015 ). Moreover, adaptive coping strategies, including social and emotional support, have been found to improve the mental well-being of students, and stress-reduction peer support groups and workshops on campus could be beneficial in reducing stress and improving the self-efficacy of students (Ruthig et al., 2009 ; Baqutayan, 2011 ; Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ; Freire et al., 2020 ; Green et al., 2021 ; Suresh et al., 2021 ). Other interventions that have been effective in improving the coping skills of college students include cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness mediation, and online coping tools (Kang et al., 2009 ; Regehr et al., 2013 ; Molla Jafar et al., 2015 ; Phang et al., 2015 ; Houston et al., 2017 ; Yusufov et al., 2019 ; Freire et al., 2020 ). Given that resilience has also been shown to help mediate stress and improve mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, interventions focusing on enhancing resilience should be considered (Surzykiewicz et al., 2021 ; Skalski et al., 2022 ). Telemental health resources across colleges can also be implemented to reduce stigma and improve at-risk students' access to care (Toscos et al., 2018 ; Hadler et al., 2021 ). University campuses, professors, and counselors should consider focusing on fostering a more equitable and inclusive environment to encourage marginalized students to seek mental health support (Budge et al., 2020 ).

Limitations

While our study has numerous strengths, including using standardized instruments and a large sample size, this study also has several limitations due to both the methodology and sample. First, the correlational study design precludes making any causal relationships (Misra and McKean, 2000 ). Thereby, our findings should be taken in the context of academic stress and mental well-being, and recognize that mental health could be caused by other non-academic factors. Second, the PAS comprised only the perception of responses to academic stress, but stress is a multi-factorial response that encompasses both perceptions and coping mechanisms to different stressors, and the magnitude of stress varies with the perception of the degree of uncontrollability, unpredictability, or threat to self (Miller, 1981 ; Hobfoll and Walfisch, 1984 ; Lazarus and Folkman, 1984 ; Wheaton, 1985 ; Perrewé and Zellars, 1999 ; Schneiderman et al., 2005 ; Bedewy and Gabriel, 2015 ; Schönfeld et al., 2016 ; Reddy et al., 2018 ; Freire et al., 2020 ; Karyotaki et al., 2020 ). Third, the SWEMSBS used in our study and the data only measured positive mental health. Mental health pathways are numerous and complex, and are composed of distinct and interdependent negative and positive indicators that should be considered together (Margraf et al., 2020 ). Fourth, due to the small effect sizes and unequal representation for different combinations of variables, our analysis for both the PAS and SWEMSBS included only summed-up scales and did not examine group differences in response to the type of academic stressors or individual mental health questions.

An additional limitation is that the participants in our study were a convenience sample. The testing service we used, prolific.co, self-reports a sample bias toward young women of high levels of education (i.e., WEIRD bias) (Team Prolific, 2018 ). The skew toward this population was observed in our data, as 80% of our participants were women. While we controlled for these factors, the possibility remains that the conclusions we draw for certain groups, such as nonbinary students, ethnic/racial minorities, and men, may not be as statistically powerful as they should be. Moreover, our pre-screening was designed to recruit undergraduate level, English-speaking, 18–30-year-olds who resided in the United States. This resulted in our participant demographics being skewed toward the WEIRD bias that was already inherent in the testing service we used. Future research will aim to be more inclusive of diverse races/ethnicities, sexual orientations, languages, educational backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, and first-generation college students.

Another limitation of our study is the nature of satisficing. Satisficing is a response strategy in which a participant answers a question to satisfy its condition with little regard to the quality or accuracy of the answer (Roberts et al., 2019 ). Anonymous participants are more likely to satisfice than respondents who answer the question face-to-face (Krosnick et al., 2002 ). We sought to mitigate satisficing by offering financial incentives to increase response rates and decrease straight-lining, item skipping, total missing items, and non-completion (Cole et al., 2015 ). Concerns of poor data quality due to surveys offering financial incentives found little evidence to support that claim and may do the opposite (Cole et al., 2015 ). On the other hand, social desirability bias may have influenced the participant's self-reported responses, although our anonymous survey design aimed to reduce this bias (Joinson, 1999 ; Kecojevic et al., 2020 ).

Future Studies

Future studies should replicate our study to validate our results, conduct longitudinal cohort studies to examine well-being and perceived academic stress over time, and aim for a more representative student sample that includes various groups, including diverse races/ethnicities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, languages, educational levels, and first-generation college students. Additionally, these studies should consider examining other non-academic stressors and students' coping mechanisms, both of which contribute to mental health and well-being (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984 ; Freire et al., 2020 ). Further explorations of negative and other positive indicators of mental health may offer a broader perspective (Margraf et al., 2020 ). Moreover, future research should consider extending our work by exploring group differences in relation to each factor in the PAS (i.e., academic expectations, workload and examinations, and self-perception of students) and SWEMBS to determine which aspects of academic stress and mental health were most affected and allow for the devising of targeted stress-reduction approaches. Ultimately, we hope our research spurs readers into advocating for greater academic support and access to group-specific mental health resources to reduce the stress levels of college students and improve their mental well-being.

Utilizing two well-established scales, our research found a statistically significant correlation between the perceived academic stress of university students and their mental well-being (i.e., the higher the stress, the worse the well-being). This relationship was most apparent among gender and grade levels. More specifically, non-binary and second-year students experienced greater academic burden and lower psychological well-being. Moreover, women, non-binary students, and upper-level students were disproportionately impacted by stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Studies regarding broad concepts of stress and well-being using a questionnaire are limited, but our study adds value to the understanding of academic stress as a contributor to the overall well-being of college students during this specific point in time (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic). Competition both for admission to college (Bound et al., 2009 ) and during college (Posselt and Lipson, 2016 ) has increased over time. Further, selective American colleges and universities draw applicants from a global pool. As such, it is important to document the dynamics of academic stress with renewed focus. We hope that our study sparks interest in both exploring and funding in-depth and well-designed psychological studies related to stress in colleges in the future.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Institutional Review Board at Rutgers University. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

GB and MB contributed to conceptualization, study design, IRB application, manuscript drafting, and revision. XZ participated in the conceptualization and design of the questionnaires. HB participated in subject recruitment and questionnaire collection. KP contributed to data analysis, table and figure preparation, manuscript drafting, and revision. XM contributed to conceptualization, study design, IRB application, supervision of the project, manuscript drafting, and revision. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

This study was made possible by a generous donation from the Knights of Columbus East Hanover Chapter in New Jersey.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Shivani Mehta and Varsha Garla for their assistance with the study. We also thank all the participants for their efforts in the completion of the study.

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Home > Student Research, Creative Works, and Publications > Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations > 512

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The role of resilience, emotion regulation, and perceived stress on college academic performance.

Katherine A. Pendergast , University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Follow

Committee Chair

Ozbek, Irene Nichols, 1947-

Committee Member

Clark, Amanda J.; Rogers, Katherine H.

Dept. of Psychology

College of Arts and Sciences

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Stress is a common problem for college students. The goal of this thesis was to examine the relationships between protective and risk factors to experiencing stress and how these factors may predict academic performance in college students. 125 college students were surveyed twice over the course of a semester on emotion regulation strategies, trait resilience, and perceived stress. The relationships between these variables and semester GPA were analyzed using correlational, multiple regression, and hierarchical regression analyses. It was determined that trait resilience scores do predict use of emotion regulation strategies but change in stress and trait resilience do not significantly predict variation in academic performance during the semester. Limitations and future directions are further discussed.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to my advisor, Dr. Ozbek, and committee members, Dr. Clark and Dr. Rogers, for invaluable feedback and support. Additional thanks to Dr. Jonathan Davidson, M.D., for his permission to use the CD-RISC to better understand resilience in the college population. Also, I would like to extend thanks to Linda Orth, Sandy Zitkus, and the entire records office staff of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for their willingness to collaborate and assist with this project. Lastly, I would like to thank the faculty and students of the Psychology Department for their overall support.

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Stress (Psychology); Academic achievement -- Education (Higher)

Stress; Resilience; Emotion regulation; Academic performance

Document Type

Masters theses

xi, 72 leaves

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Recommended Citation

Pendergast, Katherine A., "The role of resilience, emotion regulation, and perceived stress on college academic performance" (2017). Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/512

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Thesis Statement About Stress In College

This sample essay on Thesis Statement About Stress In College provides important aspects of the issue and arguments for and against as well as the needed facts. Read on this essay’s introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Stress management is an inevitable thing in the modern industrialized society. The pressures of college life make it stressful necessitating learning of some mechanisms and skills to cope with and manage stress in the day-to-day life. Definition. Stress can be defined as the wear and tear our bodies experience as we adjust and adapt to our changing environment.

(Whitman, 1985). Stress is both physiological and psychological. We also need to distinguish stress from stressors. “Stressors are demands made by the internal or external environment that upset balance, thus affecting physical and psychological well-being and requiring action to restore balance” (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977).

It is important to note that these internal and external pressure, for instance, financial constraints, family separation are just stressors and one’s response to such occurrences constitutes stress.

Without learning the art of stress management, individuals will be ineffective in whatever they are engaged. College students are not exception. A loaded curriculum, work-study programs and involvement in such things as drug all add up to students’ stress. Failure for college students to learn and develop good stress management strategies, learning will be difficult or extremely cumbersome rather than being an interesting engagement.

Causes of stress Well, there can be no stress unless there are stressors. in this part of the paper; we will explore some of the possible causes of stress (stressors) in college.

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Stress Management Thesis Statement

1) Inadequate money

Some parents or guardians may not give or afford for their college students enough money to meet their educational and personal needs. When a student gets so much involved psychology with an issue like this, he/she is likely to be stressed and weighed down.

It is believed that over 90% college students are in relationships (dating) college relations are characterized with such issues as unfaithfulness, drunkenness and other negatives like separations triggered by peer pressure. These issues make college students in relationships vulnerable to stress as they fall prey to such stressors.

3) Change of new environment

In most cases, students attending college are required to relocate from home to college. This change of environment is likely to be a stressor and actually many college students are prone this form of stress.

4) Parental expectations

Some parents have too high expectations for their children. Such parents may actually communicate the same to their college going children. When a student knows that the parent has such high up expectations of him/her, he /she is likely to be stressed especially when they are engulfed by the fear that they are not likely to attain/reach their parents expectations. Also over-indulging in studying so as to please their parents by meeting these expectations may cause stress.

5) Unrealistic expectations

Both the students and their parents may have unrealistic expectations. For instance, a student may set too high a target for himself. In the effort to achieve these expectations, students may work harder and this may drain them psychologically and physically leading to stress.

6) Social pressures

As noted elsewhere in this paper, peer pressure is one of the major causes of stress in college students. As one joins college, he meets cliques in the school setup. These small groups have their own distinct cultures. As a student joins some of these small groups, he is required to change and adapt to the group’s culture. Changing of one’s behavioral patterns and adapting to new ones may be stressful. Also such groups may engage in stressful activities.

7) New responsibilities

A college student may be assigned a number of responsibilities on top of the coursework, for instance, he/she may be made the president of a club among others, and these added responsibilities may weigh heavy on the student thereby causing stress. Other causes include, change in sleeping habits, stress-prone diet, and extra-curricular activities. Stress may have positive effects.

Importance of stress To some people, every time the term stress is mentioned, they associate it with negative results/effects. But this is not true. Not all stress is negative or bad. Infact, almost everyone needs some stress in his or her life for without it life would be gloomy, dull and uninteresting. “Insufficient stress acts as a depressant” (www.ivf.com/stress.html.) Stress makes life bright, adds flavor, challenge to life. Stress helps to jump- start us. The challenge and opportunities created by stress are vital in developing new and essential skills for life.

We will be cheating ourselves if we entertain the thought that we can avoid stress. Put bluntly, stress is an unavoidable part of life but if managed well, it can be a very constructive motivational factor in our lives.

Negative Effects 1) Alcohol and drug addition. When college students are confronted with stress they may not have positive strategies to cope with such pressure. This may make them resort to alcohol and drug abuse as a means to relieve stress.

2) Headaches, chest pain among others. Excess stress may cause aches to students and this may make them in effective in their learning.

3) Irritable and anger prone. This may severe his/her relationship with other students and even teachers. This obviously has a negative effect on learning.

4) Sleeplessness. Stress makes the student to lack sleep and this will negatively affects their learning process as they may feel drowsy and lazy during class time.

5) Unethical behaviors. Student stressed up due to lack of adequate finances may resort in to such behaviors as commercial sex and stealing and this may hinder their learning.

Stress has a chain of effects and symptoms. They all point out that one’s life is not managed well. Well, stress may make a student to be overwhelmed but such bursts of adrenaline that helps students to finish their assignment within the stipulated time, face some challenges and do well in some areas is actually positive stress.  “Stressors, such as noise or sleep loss, act by either increasing or decreasing the arousal level of the individual relative to the optimum level for a given task (Hockey & Hamilton, 1983). As we have seen stress has both positive and negative effects.

Stress management strategies Having explored some of the effects of stress on college students, it is clear that failure for students to learn smart stress management and coping strategies can be detrimental to college students. Learning stress management skill is almost a must for students if they have to become productive individuals both in school and in the community, some of these strategies can be helpful to students:

1) Exercise: physical exercise helps students to relieve themselves of stress. Students should learn how to cope and manage stress through physical exercises. Students should make exercise part and parcel of their curriculum. They should be discouraged from using temporary solutions such as drugs (caffeine)

2) Having enough sleep: student should learn to get enough sleep so that their minds and bodies get relaxed. They should learn to invest in adequate and healthy sleep. This must not be optional.

3) Relaxing techniques: students should learn techniques to help them relax both their minds and bodies. This can be done through such avenues as enjoying soothing music medication, massage, and deep breathing. “Techniques such as biofeedback…are used. Biofeedback aim to develop awareness and control of responses to stressors” (Glanz et al, 2002)

4) Getting organized: Student must learn to prioritizing tasks through the help of a

Work schedule otherwise they will have “so much to do, so little time”(Williams, 1996). When students learn to get organized they avoid stress emanating from failure to complete tasks within the required time.

5) Enjoy humor: laughter is medicine, so they say. Students should learn to stop being too serious sometimes and this will help them cope with stress. They should learn to enjoy humor and laughter. They should learn to take a break from books and smell the roses. Stopping procrastinations, learning to say no to some responsibilities which one doesn’t have adequate time for are all strategies that can help students manage and cope with stress effectively in college.

Students should learn effective strategies in management and coping with stress so that their detrimental effects can be counteracted. When such strategies are mastered, stress becomes a challenge to facilitate learning. Stress management should be made part of the college curriculum to help them overcome some of these negative effects and capitalize on the positive hence learn more effectively

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Anxiety and Depression Among College Students Essay

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Introduction

Methods section.

Education is expected to have appositive importance on the student’s life by enhancing their capability to think and improving their competency. However, it often acts as a source of stress that affects students’ mental health adversely. This causation of academic stress often emanates from the need to have high grades, the requirement to change attitude for success, and even pressures put by various school assignments.

These pressures introduced by education can make the student undergo a series of anxiety, depression, and stress trying to conform to the forces. The causes of academic stress are well-researched but there is still no explanation why the rate of strain increases despite some measures being implemented to curb student stress. This research explores this niche by using 100 participants who study at my college.

Nowadays there are many reasons that cause stress among growing number of students who might not know they are going through the condition most of the time. Hence, undiscovered discouragement or uneasiness can cause understudies to feel that they are continually passing up unique open doors. It prompts substance misuse; self-destruction is the second most typical reason for death among undergrads. The main hypothesis of this article is that college and university students have higher depression rates.

Problem Statement

This proposal undercovers how the problem of anxiety and depression is progressing if not addressed. With such countless youngsters experiencing undiscovered tension, it may be challenging for them to appreciate school. Understudies’ emotional well-being is risked when pressure and trouble go unnoticed, which can prompt social and educational issues (Nelson & Liebel, 2018). Educators might battle to perceive uneasiness since these circumstances manifest themselves contrastingly in different people.

Anxiety and depression are complicated disorders with numerous elements that impact people differently. Teachers and staff must be well trained to deal with these unforeseen events. Understudies coming to college come from various financial foundations, which can prompt an assortment of psychological wellness chances (Li et al., 2021). Additionally, current works will be evaluated to differentiate the risk factors associated with stress among university undergraduates worldwide.

There are various reasons which might cause the onset of anxiety and depression. It can be absence of rest, terrible dietary patterns, and lack of activity add to the gloom in undergrads (Ghrouz et al., 2019). Scholarly pressure, which incorporates monetary worries, strain to track down a decent profession after graduation, and bombed connections, is sufficient to drive a few understudies to exit school or more awful.

Numerous parts of school life add to despondency risk factors. For example, understudies today are owing debtors while having fewer work prospects than prior. Discouraged kids are bound to foster the problems like substance misuse (Lattie et al., 2019). For adaptation to close-to-home trouble, discouraged understudies are more inclined than their non-discouraged companions to knock back the firewater, drink pot, and participate in unsafe sexual practices.

Hypothesis on the Topic

The central hypothesis for this study is that college students have a higher rate of anxiety and depression. The study will integrate various methodologies to prove the hypothesis of nullifying it. High rates of anxiety and depression can lead to substance misuse, behavioral challenges, and suicide (Lipson et al., 2018). Anxiety is one of the most critical indicators of academic success, it shows how students’ attitudes change, reflecting on their overall performance.

Participants

The study will use college students who are joining and those already in college. The research period is planned to last six months; college students are between the ages of 18 and 21 and life is changing rapidly at this age (Spillebout et al., 2019). This demography will come from the college where I study. The participants will be chosen randomly, the total number will be 100, both female and male, and from all races.

Apparatus/ Materials/ Instruments

Some of the materials to be used in the study will include pencils, papers, and tests. Paper and pencils are typical supplies that students are familiar with, so using them will not cause additional stress. It will be used during the interview with the students and throughout the study will be in effect (Huang et al., 2018). These have been applied in various studies before, and, hence, they will be instrumental in this study.

The study will follow a step-wise procedure to get the required results. First, the students’ pre-depression testing results would be researched and recorded. Second, the students would undergo standardized testing in the same groups. Scholarly accomplishment is impacted by past intellectual performance and standardized testing (Chang et al., 2020). Third, the students’ levels of depression and anxiety would be monitored along with their test results.

The study will use a descriptive, cross-sectional design with categorical and continuous data. The sample demographic characteristics were described using descriptive statistics. Pearson’s proportion of skewness values and common mistakes of skewness was utilized to test the ordinariness of the persistent factors. The distinctions in mean scores between sociodemographic variables and stress will be examined using Tests (Lipson et al., 2018). The independent variable will be essential because it will provide the basis of measurement.

The 100 participants had different anxiety levels, as seen from the Test taken and the various evaluations. Forty-five of the participants had high levels, 23 had medium levels, while the remaining 32 had low levels (Lipson et al., 2018). The correlation and ANOVA, which had a degree of era margin of 0.05, were allowed (Lipson et al., 2018). This finding aligns intending to have clear and comprehensive outcomes.

Significance of the Study

If the results would be not significant, it means that students are not subjected to more pressure on average. If the study results in significant outcomes, this would mean that there is much that needs to be done to reduce student’s anxiety. The idea that scholarly accomplishment is indispensable to progress is built up in higher instructive conditions (Nelson & Liebel, 2018). Many colleges devote money to tutoring, extra instruction, and other support services to help students succeed.

APA Ethical Guidelines

The study will have to follow the APA ethical guidelines because it involves experimenting with humans. Some of the policies include having consent from the participant, debriefing the participant on the study’s nature, and getting IRB permission (Nelson & Liebel, 2018). Ethical guidelines should comply with proficient, institutional, and government rules. They habitually administer understudies whom they likewise instruct to give some examples of obligations.

Limitations

The study also had some limitations, making it hard to get the desired outcomes. It was not easy to detect the population-level connections, but not causality. This case hardened the aspect of confounding and getting the relevant random assignment needed for the study had to access (Nelson & Liebel, 2018). For the right individuals for the investigation to be identified, the sampling was not easy.

This study would be essential as it will create a platform for future studies. The result that was gotten shows that many college students are undergoing the problem of anxiety and depression without knowing that it is happening. Educators will have an awareness on what aspects of academics they need to modify to ensure their students are not experiencing mental health challenges. Hence, it makes it possible for future researchers to conduct studies to provide possible solutions.

Chang, J., Yuan, Y., & Wang, D. (2020). Mental health status and its influencing factors among college students during the epidemic of COVID-19. Journal of Southern Medical University , 40(2), 171-176.

Ghrouz, A. K., Noohu, M. M., Manzar, D., Warren Spence, D., BaHammam, A. S., & Pandi-Perumal, S. R. (2019). Physical activity and sleep quality in relation to mental health among college students. Sleep and Breathing Journal , 23(2), 627-634.

Huang, J., Nigatu, Y. T., Smail-Crevier, R., Zhang, X., & Wang, J. (2018). Interventions for common mental health problems among university and college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research , 107, 1-10.

Lattie, E. G., Adkins, E. C., Winquist, N., Stiles-Shields, C., Wafford, Q. E., & Graham, A. K. (2019). Digital mental health interventions for depression, anxiety, and enhancement of psychological well-being among college students: A systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet Research , 21(7), e12869.

Li, Y., Zhao, J., Ma, Z., McReynolds, L. S., Lin, D., Chen, Z.,… & Liu, X. (2021). Mental health among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A 2-wave longitudinal survey. Journal of Affective Disorders , 281, 597-604.

Lipson, S. K., Kern, A., Eisenberg, D., & Breland-Noble, A. M. (2018). Mental health disparities among college students of color. Journal of Adolescent Health , 63(3), 348-356.

Nelson, J. M., & Liebel, S. W. (2018). Anxiety and depression among college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Cross-informant, sex, and subtype differences. Journal of American College Health , 66(2), 123-132.

Spillebout, A., Dechelotte, P., Ladner, J., & Tavolacci, M. P. (2019). Mental health among university students with eating disorders and irritable bowel syndrome in France. Journal of Affective Disorders , 67(5), 295-301.

• Anxiety and Depression: The Case Study
• Bulimia in Teenagers: How to Make a Change
• How a Mechanical Pencil Is Made
• Fear associated with sexuality issues in society
• Substitute Goods
• Defense Mechanisms and Brain Structure
• Coping with Stress and Physical Health Problems
• Quality of Life With Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenia: The Etiology Analysis
• Schizophrenia as a Chronic Mental Disorder
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Exploring Student Stress And How To Cope As A Stressed Student

School can be a challenging time for both college and high school students. With coursework, relationships, extracurricular activities, and family pressure, you may face a wide range of stressors at different stages of your academic career. While occasional stress may not be a problem, stress can become an issue when it interferes with your mental or physical well-being. Let’s take a closer look at how stress may manifest in students, as well as some coping strategies for managing stress during school. 

What is stress?

Stress is a physical and mental response to demanding situations. When you’re stressed, you may notice symptoms in your body, such as tense muscles or fluttering in your stomach. You may also notice mental and emotional symptoms, such as irritability and trouble concentrating. These symptoms are your body’s way of preparing you to respond to a threat or challenge. 

There are two types of stress: acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is stress that comes on quickly (for example, when you get into an argument or are running late to a meeting) and goes away once the situation passes. Chronic stress is  often due to ongoing challenges like work or relationship concerns. As a student, you may experience both acute stress and chronic stress during your time in school.  

Common causes of stress among high school and college students

Student stress can have a wide range of causes, including schoolwork, social dynamics, and worries about the future. Reasons you might experience stress as a student include:

• Pressure to get good grades
• Overwhelming amounts of homework or classwork
• Trouble balancing schoolwork, your social life, and extracurricular activities 
• Pressure to get into a good college or graduate school 
• Standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, or GRE
• Bullying or hazing
• Challenges in friendships or romantic relationships
• Concerns about tuition or student loans
• The transition to adulthood

From anxiety to depression: Effects of stress on mental health

Occasional stress may not always be a problem. However, too much stress can have negative mental health effects. Some of the most common include: 

Generalized anxiety disorder

Anxiety is a sense of ongoing worry or dread about future events. People with generalized anxiety disorder may experience anxiety about a wide range of concerns, to the extent that it interferes with their daily lives . Generalized anxiety disorder may also cause:

• Restlessness or irritability
• Feelings of worry that are hard to control 
• Unexplained muscle pains, headaches, or stomachaches
• Trouble sleeping 

Panic attacks

Panic attacks are sudden episodes of intense fear. These episodes typically last 5 to 20 minutes, often peaking at about 10 minutes, and may not always have an obvious trigger. When you have a panic attack, you might experience symptoms like:

• A rapid heartbeat
• Trouble breathing
• Nausea or dizziness
• An intense fear of dying
• Feelings of overwhelming dread

Depression can cause ongoing feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or low energy. Episodes of depression typically last at least two weeks and:

• Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness
• Feelings of anger, guilt, or restlessness
• A loss of interest in hobbies and relationships
• An ongoing lack of energy
• Changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Negative feelings about oneself

Substance use

When you have trouble controlling your urges to consume something and these challenges are interfering with your life, you may have a substance use disorder. Substance use disorders can develop from using alcohol, drugs, or other habit-forming substances. Symptoms of a substance use disorder may include:

• An intense, overwhelming desire to use the substance 
• Unsuccessful attempts to stop using the substance
• Symptoms of withdrawal that can be relieved by using the substance
• Challenges in your life or relationships due to using the substance 

High blood pressure, muscle pain, and more: Effects of stress on physical health

Beyond mental health, stress—especially chronic stress— can also have negative effects on physical health . Some examples include:

Trouble sleeping

Elevated stress levels can sometimes lead to insomnia. People with insomnia may struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep, or they may wake up at improper times. Not getting enough sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness and trouble concentrating, which may make it harder for students to focus during class, negatively affecting academic performance. 

High blood pressure

When you experience stress, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones can increase your heartbeat and constrict your blood vessels , leading to a spike in blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure may contribute to vision loss, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease . 

Aches and pains

When you’re stressed, you may also experience physical pain in your body. While this symptom usually passes when the source of the stress goes away, ongoing stress may lead to your muscles staying in a state of tension. As a result, you may experience effects like tension headaches, migraines, and back and shoulder pain. 

Signs you might be a stressed student

Understanding what stress can look like may help you take action to manage it before it can negatively affect your mental and physical health. Signs of stress can look different in different people, but you may be a stressed student if: 

• You often feel restless, irritable, or “on edge.” 
• You feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities or assignments.
• You experience unexplained stomachaches, headaches, or pain.
• You’re having trouble sleeping, or you’re sleeping more than usual.
• You’re getting sick more often than usual.
• You often struggle to concentrate, make decisions, or remember information.
• You’re withdrawing from your relationships. 
• Other people have noticed changes in your mood or behavior. 

How to manage stress in school 

Not all stress can be avoided, but by being proactive, you may be able to better manage stress and reduce its effects on your well-being. If you’re a student, the strategies in this section may be helpful, whether you’re currently experiencing stress or you want to protect yourself from stress in the future. 

How to manage stress and support your mental health as a high school student

Stress in high school can be especially challenging due to the added uncertainty students may experience about college, work, and standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. If you’re experiencing stress in high school, consider the following tips: 

• Prioritize your assignments based on their importance, difficulty, and due dates.
• Find study techniques that work for you, such as flashcards, gamification, or mnemonic devices. 
• Turn off your phone before each class to ensure you’re fully present and engaged. 
• Build a block of free time into your schedule each day, even if you have a busy schedule. 
• Consider using a planner or other organization tool to manage your schoolwork. 
• Make time for regular exercise, especially if you aren’t taking any physical education classes.
• Get as much quality sleep as you can by following a consistent bedtime schedule and avoiding screens before bed. 
• Seek support from your friends, family, and teachers if you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

Stress management tips for college students

College students may also face unique stressors, such as the transition to independent living, tuition, and specialized coursework. Coping with these stressors may be easier with the following strategies:

• Take advantage of campus tutoring, your student success center, and other resources offered by your school.
• Build chores like laundry and cooking into your weekly routine. 
• Surround yourself with a social group that can offer advice and emotional support when you’re stressed. 
• Keep your workspace tidy and well-organized.
• Take advantage of your professors’ office hours if you’re having difficulty with class material. 
• Create a simple budget for tuition, living expenses, and entertainment. 
• Break larger assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks and do a little each day. 
• Join a club, study group, or campus organization where you can connect with others and decompress from your schoolwork.
• Avoid overscheduling yourself, especially if you also have an internship or part-time job. 

Mental health and stress management resources for students

In addition to the coping strategies mentioned above, students facing high levels of stress may benefit from mental health support. Below, you can find a list of resources for getting advice, managing school-related stress, and connecting with mental health professionals in high school and college:

• School psychologists: Many U.S. high schools have at least one psychologist on campus. Your school psychologist may be able to identify mental health concerns and connect you with appropriate mental health resources. 
• Guidance counselors: Guidance counselors don’t typically offer direct mental health support. However, your school counselor may be able to help you balance your schedule and find academic support like tutoring. 
• Campus mental health centers: Colleges often provide mental health counseling through their student health centers. Note that during busy academic seasons, you may want to make an appointment in advance to avoid long wait times. 
• Academic advising: Like high school guidance counselors, academic advisors may be able to help college students build a sustainable course load and manage academic stress.  
• Helplines: Mental health hotlines like the Crisis Text Line and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can provide students with quick, short-term support. 

Online therapy for stress

You may find it harder to make time to get mental health support if you’re feeling overwhelmed by coursework. Online therapy lets you see a licensed therapist on your own schedule without having to leave the house. You can communicate with a therapist via voice call, video call, or live chat. This flexibility may make it easier to get stress management help when you need it. With online therapy, you can also contact your therapist any time through in-app messaging, and they’ll respond as soon as they can. 

Studies show that online therapy can be effective for reducing stress. In a 2022 paper, researchers reviewed data from 13 studies of internet-based therapy for people with elevated stress levels. They found that online therapy effectively reduced symptoms of stress and stress-related disorders . 

High school and college students may experience stress for a variety of academic, social, and financial reasons. Stress is a natural physical and mental response to challenging situations, but when stress becomes chronic, it can negatively affect mental and physical health. For this reason, students may benefit from becoming aware of common stress symptoms like muscle pain, irritability, and trouble concentrating. If you are a student experiencing stress, you may benefit from strategies like breaking tasks down, getting plenty of exercise, and taking advantage of school resources to get help. Online therapy is another option for additional mental health support. You can take the first step toward getting help with stress by reaching out to a licensed therapist.

• Staying Close With College Friends: How To Maintain Your Friendships After Graduation Medically reviewed by Julie Dodson , MA
• How To Study With ADHD: Tips For College Students Medically reviewed by April Justice , LICSW
• Relationships and Relations

Essay Sample on Causes and Effects of Stress on Students, With Outline

Published by gudwriter on January 4, 2021 January 4, 2021

Cause and Effects Essay Outline About Stress Among Students

Introduction.

Stress in students may have serious harmful effects and thus needs to be addressed.

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Paragraph 1:

One of the causes of stress in students is poor sleeping habits.

• Students who do not get enough sleep at night or lack healthy sleeping habits are likely to develop stress.
• Enough sleep allows the brain and body of a student to relax and recharge.
• Lack of it can limit a student’s ability to learn, concentrate and solve problems.

Paragraph 2:

Student stress is caused by academic pressure.

• They are given homework assignments.
• They have classroom assignments and term papers that are supposed to be completed and submitted in strict deadlines.
• Pressure to do well from those close to them such as family, friends, and teachers.

Paragraph 3:

Student stress may result from poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits.

• Stress-inducing foods are those that have high refined carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, and fat.
• A stress-reducing diet is made up of foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and fiber and low in fat content.

Paragraph 4: 

High stress levels could make students develop physical symptoms that could negatively affect their academic performance.

• When a student experiences these symptoms, they might not feel the motivation they once felt about doing their best on academic tasks.
• The symptoms are detrimental to the health of students.

Paragraph 5:

Stress makes students to have poor management skills.

• A student could become disorganized and uncertain about their priorities and goals.
• They become incapable of effectively budgeting and managing their time.
• They develop a tendency of procrastinating and neglecting responsibilities.

Paragraph 6:

Stress leads to self-defeating thoughts.

• A student under stress may consistently think about the adversity or negative situation in which they are.
• They could constantly focus on their weaknesses and failures.

Paragraph 7: 

There are various stress management strategies students may take to reduce stress.

• Get regular physical activity and practice.
• Spend quality time with friends and family, and keeping a sense of humor.
• Find time for such hobbies as listening to music, playing football, and reading a book.
• Get enough sleep and consume balanced diet.
• Stress in students cause serious negative effects, both physical and academic.
• It results from poor sleeping habits, academic pressure, and poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits.
• It results into physical symptoms, poor management skills, and self-defeating thoughts.
• Parents and teachers should work together to ensure that students do not experience much stress.

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A Cause and Effect Essay on Stress in Students

Stress is the natural response the human body gives to challenges. Students are exposed to stress by various factors. When a student undergoes chronic stress or high stress levels, their ability to learn, memorize, and post good academic performances can be interfered with regardless of their age or grade. Stress can also make a student experience poor mental, emotional, and physical health. Teachers and parents may help students avoid chronic stress in their lives if they learn about and develop a good understanding of common stressors. Stress in students may have serious harmful effects and thus needs to be addressed.

One of the causes of stress in students is poor sleeping habits. Compared to students who get plenty of sleep, students who do not get enough sleep at night or lack healthy sleeping habits are likely to develop stress. Enough sleep allows the brain and body of a student to relax and recharge. It also helps in ensuring that the immune system remains strong. On the other hand, lack of enough sleep can limit a student’s ability to learn, concentrate, and solve problems and can also make them more aggressive. According to Hales and Hales (2016), it is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation that young people, especially students, should maintain a regular sleep schedule and that they should sleep for between 8.5 and 9.25 hours per night.

Another major cause of student stress is academic pressure. As teachers prepare students for standardized tests, they give them homework even if the students are as young as six only. In addition to these homework assignments, there are classroom assignments and term papers that are supposed to be completed and submitted in strict deadlines. The pressure that comes from these assignments coupled with the desire by students to succeed academically culminates into stress. Students also experience pressure to do well in their academic work from those close to them such as family, friends, and even teachers (Raju, 2009). They therefore feel so much pushed that they even resort to academic dishonesty such as cheating in exams so as to match these high expectations.

A student’s stress levels can also increase due to poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits. Foods that are associated with high stress levels in students include those that have high refined carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, and fat. This is the case with many types of fast, processed, and convenience foods. Examples of foods that induce stress include French fries, white bread, processed snack foods, candy bars, donuts, energy drinks, and sodas (Kumar, 2015). A healthy stress-reducing diet is made up of foods that are high in complex carbohydrates and fiber and low in fat content. Examples of such foods include lean proteins, nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.

It is noteworthy that high stress levels can make students develop physical symptoms that could negatively affect their academic performance. These signs and symptoms include chest pain, elevated blood pressure, stomach upset, mumbled or rapid speech, nervous habits such as fidgeting, back and neck pains, tremors and trembling of lips, and frequent headaches (Kumar, 2015). When a student experiences these symptoms, they might not feel the motivation they once felt about doing their best in such academic tasks as completing assignments or preparing for tests. Moreover, the symptoms are detrimental to the health of students, a factor which may father make their academic fortunes to dwindle.

Stress also makes students to have poor management skills. A student could become disorganized and uncertain about their priorities and goals as a result of suffering from high levels of stress. This could further make them incapable of effectively budgeting and managing their time. Moreover, highly stressed students have the tendency to procrastinate and neglect such important responsibilities as meeting deadlines and completing assignments (Hales & Hales, 2016). This, of course, negatively impacts the quality of their academic work and study skills.

High stress levels could further lead to self-defeating thoughts among students. While undergoing stress, it is likely that a student may consistently think about the adversity or negative situation in which they find themselves. In addition, they could constantly focus on their weaknesses and failures while ignoring their strengths and achievements. These are self-defeating thoughts that not only deal a blow to their self-esteem but also affect how they behave and how they feel both as humans and as students (Patel, 2016). They result into a student lacking confidence in their abilities and this negatively impacts their success in school since they cannot perform to their highest potential.

There are various stress management strategies students may take to reduce stress. One of these is to get regular physical activity and practice such relaxation techniques as massage, tai chi, yoga, meditation, and deep breathing. Students may also keep stress away by spending quality time with friends and family, and keeping a sense of humor. Another strategy may be to find time for such hobbies as listening to music, playing football, and reading a book. It is also important that one gets enough sleep and consumes balanced diet (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2019). These strategies may both alleviate and prevent stress among students.

Stress in students cause serious negative effects, both physical and academic. Students may experience stress due to poor sleeping habits, academic pressure, and poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits. Students need enough sleep and less pressure for their brain to relax and recharge for it to function well. They also need to avoid stress-inducing foods such as fries and sodas. As has been seen, high stress levels could lead to physical symptoms, poor management skills, and self-defeating thoughts among students. As such, parents and teachers should work together in ensuring that students do not experience much stress because it is not good for their health and academic ability.

Hales, D., & Hales, J. (2016). Personal stress management: surviving to thriving . Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Kumar, N. (2015). Psychological stress among science students . New York, NY: Springer.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2019). “Stress symptoms: effects on your body and behavior”. Mayo Clinic . Retrieved March 27, 2020 from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987

Patel, G. (2016). An achievement motivation and academic anxiety of school going students . Lunawada: Red’shine Publication. Inc.

Raju, M. V. (2009). Health psychology and counselling . Delhi, India: Discovery Publishing House.

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Downloadable Content

Stress management among college students

• Masters Thesis
• Emetu, Roberta
• Forster, Myriam
• Spear, Suzanne
• Health and Human Development
• California State University, Northridge
• Dissertations, Academic -- CSUN -- Health Science.
• stress management
• college students
• http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/224178
• by Yerin Cho

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Impostor Phenomenon and Psychological Well-Being: The Moderating Roles of John Henryism and School Racial Composition Among Black College Students

Add to collection, downloadable content.

• Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Other Affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
• Other Affiliation: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
• The impostor phenomenon (IP), or erroneous cognitions of intellectual incompetence, is a risk factor for poor psychological adjustment among Black emerging adults. Grounded in Lazarus and Folkman's Stress and Coping Framework, the current study investigated John Henryism's active coping and institutional racial composition as moderators of the association between IP and indicators of psychological well-being among 266 Black students (77% women; M age = 19.87) attending predominately White institutions (PWIs) and historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs). Hierarchical moderation regression analyses revealed that IP was associated with decreases in well-being indicators among students attending PWIs and HBCUs. Moreover, students who attended PWIs and reported higher levels of John Henryism (+1 SD) were most vulnerable to increases in social anxiety, particularly at higher levels of IP. Results suggest that the interaction between IP, John Henrysim, and institutional racial composition may negatively influence psychological well-being. We discuss how these findings can be used to inform clinical and educational practices to best support Black college students.
• https://doi.org/10.17615/cpfa-hs70
• https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798420924529
• In Copyright
• Journal of Black Psychology
• Directorate for STEM Education
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences
• SAGE Publications

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Stress and hope distinguish individuals with suicidal plan from suicide ideators among chinese college students.

• 1 Ideological and Political Education Center, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China
• 2 Mental Health Education Center, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
• 3 Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Background: Suicide among college students is a significant public health concern in China. While suicidal ideation serves as a crucial predictor of subsequent suicidal plans and behaviors, it is important to recognize that most instances of suicidal ideation may only be fleeting thoughts that do not progress to an actual plan. Therefore, it is imperative to identify the factors associated with the transition from suicidal ideation to a concrete plan. Consequently, this study aims to investigate whether certain frequently cited factors can differentiate individuals who have formulated a specific suicidal plan from those who have experienced suicidal thoughts without planning, based on data obtained through a cross-sectional survey.

Materials and methods: This survey was conducted as part of routine mental health assessments among second-year college students in October 2023. Data from a total of 4,858 second-year college students were utilized for the final analyses. Two survey questions were employed to identify past-year suicidal ideation and past-year suicidal plan. All participants were required to complete various assessments, including the Chinese version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 items (DASS-21), the Chinese version of Gratitude Questionnaire-six items (GQ-6), the Chinese version of Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and the Chinese version of State Hope Scale (SHS).

Results: Among 4,858 participants, a total of 134 individuals (2.8%) were confirmed to have experienced past-year suicidal ideation. Out of these, 53 (1.1% overall) reported having a past-year suicidal plan, accounting for approximately 39.6% of those with suicidal ideation. Logistic regression analyses revealed that while most potential variables differentiated between students with and without suicidal ideation, only two factors stood out in distinguishing individuals with a suicidal plan from those who had not made such plans despite experiencing suicidal thoughts—presence of stress ( OR =2.49, 95% CI : 1.04–5.96) and lower scores of hope agency ( OR =0.84, 95% CI : 0.72–0.98).

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the stress may contribute to susceptibility for transitioning from mere thoughts to actual planning regarding suicide; conversely, hope agency appears to offer protection against this transition process. Therefore, we advocate for targeted interventions aimed at fostering hope among individuals who have encountered adverse and stressful life events.

Introduction

Suicide ranks as one of the primary causes contributing to morbidity and mortality among young adults globally. In China, specifically, it is estimated that approximately 10.7% of college students have experienced suicidal ideation ( 1 ) and 4.4% have formulated plans toward such ends ( 2 ). While there exists no precise national data regarding suicide rates among this population at the present time, suicide among college students presents a significant public health issue throughout China. Although contemplating suicide serves as an important indicator for predicting future attempts or completed acts thereof, many instances where individuals experience these thoughts are transient phenomena which do not necessarily culminate into concrete plans or actions; thus, identifying variables which contribute toward transitioning from mere contemplations toward actualized planning remains crucially important ( 3 – 6 ).

To date, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the factors associated with suicidal ideation among Chinese college students. The presence of psychiatric symptoms has consistently emerged as the most reliable risk factor for suicidal ideation. For example, meta-analytic data revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with a 3.2-fold increase in the likelihood of suicidal ideation among Chinese college students ( 7 ). Similarly, a meta-analysis involving 66,752 participants reported a strong association between anxiety symptom and students’ suicidal ideation ( 8 ). Additionally, stress symptoms have been identified as predictors of suicidal ideation ( 9 ). It is estimated that approximately 20% of patients with schizophrenia attempt suicide at least once during their life ( 10 ). In addition, exposure to adverse childhood experiences strongly increases the probability of suicide behaviors in patients with schizophrenia ( 11 ). However, it remains unknown whether these psychiatric symptoms can predict the occurrence of suicidal plans among individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts.

On the contrary, in line with a positive psychology framework, numerous psychological variables have been proposed as potential protective factors against suicide. For instance, accumulating evidence suggests that gratitude is linked to reduced psychological distress ( 12 ) and decreased overall symptoms of psychopathology ( 13 ), thereby conferring resilience against suicide ( 14 ). Furthermore, a correlation has been found between the meaning of life and lower levels of suicidal ideation and attempts ( 15 ). Additionally, hope has consistently been reported to be associated with greater life satisfaction, reduced psychological distress, and enhanced psychological well-beings, thus acting as a buffer against suicide ( 16 ). Again, it remains unclear whether these positive psychological variables can effectively prevent the transition from ideation to an actual plan.

According to the ideation-to-action framework ( 3 – 6 ), it is crucial to identify variables that can effectively predict and elucidate the transition from suicidal ideation to a concrete suicidal plan. Given that virtually all students with a suicidal plan also experience suicidal ideation, it becomes imperative to control for this factor when attempting to identify predictors of a suicide plan. However, as far as our knowledge extends, no studies have thus far examined the factors that predict a suicide plan among Chinese college students who have experienced suicidal thoughts. This research gap is significant because gaining a better understanding of the progression from suicidal ideation to planning can greatly facilitate the development of targeted intervention programs for individuals at risk. Consequently, this study aims to investigate whether certain frequently cited factors can differentiate between those who have formulated a specific suicide plan and those who have only experienced suicidal thoughts without any planning, based on data obtained through a cross-sectional survey.

Sampling and participants

This survey was conducted as part of routine mental health assessments among second-year college students in October 2023. The current study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (Ethics Approval Code: 2023–021). Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. In total, 5,652 second-year college students should have participated in the survey, and actually 5,174 students completed the assessments (i.e., survey response rate was 91.5%). A total of 316 participants gave exactly the same option on each questionnaire/scale, so these data were defined as unqualified data and excluded from the analysis. Finally, data from 4,858 participants (1,893 men and 2,965 women, mean age was 19.32 years) were utilized for the final analyses.

Past-year suicidal ideation and past-year suicidal plan

Two survey questions were employed to identify past-year suicidal ideation and past-year suicidal plan. All participants were first asked, “In the past 12 months, did you seriously think about trying to kill yourself?” Then, those who responded “YES” were further asked, “During the past 12 months, did you make any plans to kill yourself?”

As Figure 1 shows, 134 participants were categorized as group with suicidal ideation. Among these with suicidal ideation, 53 participants had suicidal plan (i.e., group with suicidal plan).

Figure 1 . Sampling profile.

Depression, anxiety, and stress

The presence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were measured with the Chinese version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 items (DASS-21) ( 17 , 18 ). DASS-21 is a self-report measure of mental health status, including depression, anxiety, and stress severity. The total scores for each subscale range from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. In the present study, cutoff scores of ≥10, ≥8, and ≥15 were adopted to define the presence symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively ( 19 ). The Cronbach’s alpha for the DASS-21 in the present study is 0.886 (depression), 0.838 (anxiety), 0.883 (stress), and 0.949 (total scores), separately.

Gratitude was measured with the Chinese version of Gratitude Questionnaire-six items (GQ-6) ( 14 , 20 ). The GQ-6 contains six items, with each item scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The total scores of the GQ-6 range from 7 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater gratitude. The Cronbach’s alpha for the GQ-6 in the present study is 0.724.

Meaning in life

Meaning in life was measured with the Chinese version of Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) ( 21 , 22 ), which measures presence of meaning and search for meaning of life. The Chinese version of MLQ contains nine items, with each item scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The total scores of the subscale for presence of meaning in life (MLQ-P) range from 7 to 35, with higher scores indicating higher level of presence of meaning of life. The total scores of the subscale for search of meaning in life (MLQ-L) range from 7 to 28, with higher scores indicating higher level of active search for meaning in life. The Cronbach’s alpha for the MLQ in the present study is 0.907 (MLQ-P) and 0.891 (MLQ-S), separately.

The hope level was measured by the Chinese version of State Hope Scale (SHS; 23 , 24 ), which measures beliefs about how successful in pursuing goals (Agency) and how confident in finding ways to attain goals (Pathways). The Chinese version of SHS contains six items, with each item scored from 1 (definitely false) to 8 (definitely true). The total scores of the subscale for Agency (SHS-A) and the subscale for Pathways (SHS-P) both range from 8 to 24, with higher scores representing a heightened sense of perceived hope. The Cronbach’s alpha for the SHS in the present study are 0.912 (SHS-A) and 0.947 (SHS-P), separately.

Analysis procedure

Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical package version 17.0. Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA were used to compare between groups (i.e., Group with suicidal ideation vs. Group without suicidal ideation; Group with suicidal plan vs. Group without suicidal plan but with suicidal ideation) for categorical variables and continuous variables, separately. Logistic regression was conducted to assess factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicidal plan, adjusting for gender and age. Specifically, logistic regression was first conducted to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation among all respondents. Then, we conducted the logistic regression to analyze what distinguished individuals with suicidal plan and from those without suicidal plan among students with suicidal ideation. For DASS-21, only the presence of depression, anxiety, and stress were entered into the logistic regression model.

Group comparisons

Comparisons between groups with or without suicidal ideation.

As Figure 1 shows, out of 4,858, 134 (2.8%) were confirmed as individuals with past-year suicidal ideation. Table 1 summarizes the details of group comparisons between group with suicidal ideation and group without ideation. As Table 1 shows, the group with suicidal ideation had significantly higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress than the group without suicidal ideation (all p <0.01). One-way ANOVA indicated that the group with suicidal ideation had a significantly higher score on depression, anxiety, stress, GQ-6, MLQ-O, MLQ-S, SHS-A, and SHS-P (all p ≤ 0.01).

Table 1 . Comparisons between groups with or without suicidal ideation.

Comparisons between group with suicidal plan and group without suicidal plan but with suicidal ideation

As shown in Figure 1 , 53 (1.1%) of the 4,858 students reported having past-year suicidal plan, representing 39.6% of the students with suicidal ideation. Table 2 summarizes the details of comparisons between group with suicidal plan and group without suicidal plan but with suicidal ideation. As Table 2 shows, the group with suicidal plan had significantly higher prevalence of stress than the group without suicidal plan but with suicidal ideation ( p <0.01). One-way ANOVA indicated that the group with suicidal plan had a significantly higher score on SHS-A (all p =0.03). The difference between groups on total scores of depression and total scores of stress approached significance (both p =0.05). No significant difference was found for the prevalence of depression, anxiety, scores on GQ-6, MLQ-O, MLQ-S, and SHS-P between subgroups (all p ≥0.28).

Table 2 . Comparisons between subgroups with or without suicidal plan among students with suicidal ideation.

Logistic regression equations

The results of logistic regression equations for suicidal ideation and suicide plan are shown in Table 3 . Logistic regression analyses indicate that the presence of depression, anxiety, stress, and total scores of SHS-A significantly differentiated suicidal ideation from all other participants. For suicide plan, logistic regression analysis yielded a very different model, with only presence of stress and total scores of SHS-A significantly distinguishing between individuals with suicidal plan and those without suicidal plan who had suicidal ideation.

Table 3 . Logistic regression analysis for suicidal ideation and suicide plan.

Suicide among college students remain a significant public health concern in China. In order to advance the prevention efforts, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to or deter the transition from suicidal ideation to actual plans. This study, aligned with an ideation-to-action framework ( 3 – 6 ), aimed to investigate whether certain frequently mentioned factors could differentiate individuals who had made specific plans for suicide from those who had experienced suicidal ideation without planning. Our primary findings indicate that, while most of these potential variables distinguished between students with and without suicidal ideation, only two factors (namely, presence of stress and lower scores of SHS-A) were able to distinguish individuals with concrete suicidal plans from those who had contemplated suicide but did not have a plan in place. These findings hold significant implications for the development of effective strategies for suicide prevention and intervention.

Regarding psychiatric symptoms, our findings suggest that depression and anxiety are significant predictors of suicidal ideation but do not differentiate between individuals with a suicidal plan and those without one. This pattern aligns with previous literature. Our previous study in college students demonstrated that screening positive for psychiatric disorders offered limited discriminatory value in distinguishing suicide attempters from suicidal ideators ( 25 ). Similarly, a meta-analysis of 27 studies revealed that while depression strongly predicted suicidal ideation, its effect was minimal to small when comparing attempters to ideators ( 4 ). Importantly, our results indicate a significant positive association between the presence of stress and the development of a suicidal plan among ideators. We cautiously speculate that stress symptoms may facilitate the transition from mere ideation to planning, as prior research has shown a correlation between perceived stress and increased likelihood of developing a specific suicidal plan one year later ( 26 ).

Our findings, in line with a positive psychology framework, revealed that individuals with suicidal ideation displayed significantly lower scores on GQ-6, MLQ-P, MLQ-S, SHS-P, and SHS-A compared with those without such thoughts. However, except for the scores of SHS-A, these positive psychological variables failed to distinguish between individuals with suicidal plans and those with ideation alone. These results suggest that hope agency may be the sole factor that provides protection against the transition from ideation to planning suicide. These findings are particularly intriguing and significant because hope agency could serve as a valuable target for interventions aimed at reducing suicide risk. Indeed, hope agency fosters a sense of connectedness to successful determination. According to the three-step theory ( 27 ), this connectedness can surpass their psychological pain or hopelessness, thereby impeding the progression from occasional suicidal desires to an actual plan.

Several limitations of the current study should be acknowledged. Firstly, a cross-sectional research design was employed instead of a longitudinal approach, thus warranting the need for future longitudinal and prospective studies to establish causal relationships among the variables. Secondly, the sample size of participants with suicidal plan was small, which limited statistical power in detecting differences. Thirdly, various confounding factors such as social support ( 28 ), perceived discrimination ( 29 ), gender identity, and sexual orientation may have influenced the results of this study. Therefore, future research design should incorporate additional relevant variables to enhance our understanding of the transition process from suicidal ideation to suicide planning. Lastly, potential issues like intentional non-reporting of suicidality and recall bias cannot be ruled out.

In conclusion, these findings suggest that the stress may contribute to vulnerability in transitioning from mere thoughts to actual planning regarding suicide; conversely, hope agency appears to offer protection against this transition process. Henceforth, special attention should be given by suicide prevention programs toward recognizing stress symptoms and implementing training programs for management of stress symptoms among students reporting suicidal ideation ( 30 ). Additionally, targeted interventions aimed at fostering hope among individuals who have experienced adverse and stressful life events are strongly advocated ( 31 ).

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics statement

The studies involving humans were approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (Ethics Approval Code: 2023-021). The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author contributions

NC: Formal Analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft. ZD: Data curation, Writing – original draft. YW: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – review & editing.

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. LTGY23H090004).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: suicidal ideation, suicide plan, stress, hope, college students, ideation-to-action framework

Citation: Chen N, Dai Z and Wang Y (2024) Stress and hope distinguish individuals with suicidal plan from suicide ideators among Chinese college students. Front. Psychiatry 15:1387868. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1387868

Received: 21 February 2024; Accepted: 22 July 2024; Published: 09 August 2024.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2024 Chen, Dai and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Yongguang Wang, [email protected]

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