STRESS part I......Stress and its effects on college students

Stress and its effects on college students

How to Help
   If you know someone who is under stress, there are many things you can do to help: 

• Be available to talk and give the individual 100% of your attention. 
• Listen with care, attention and acceptance. 
• Help the student define what is causing the stress, the effects of the stress, what he or she is doing to cope and how effective the coping skills are. 
•  Encourage the individual to think of ways he or she has coped in the past or which might be effective currently. Doing so empowers the student to rely on his or her own judgment and to assume responsibility. 
•  Then, suggest alternative ways of viewing the situation and other ways of coping with or minimizing the stress. 
•  Take the time to follow up. 
•  If necessary, refer the individual to campus’ counseling center to speak with a trained professional .

  Is This Really a Problem?    It’s no surprise that college can be a stressful time in a person’s life. What may be surprising is the degree and extent to which

college students are affected by stress.

  In fact, nearly 30% of college students have reported feeling overwhelmed a great deal of the time. (Pryor and al., 2011)

  Furthermore, self-rated emotional health for incoming freshmen is at an all-time low, since a study began measuring this 25

years ago. (Pryor andal., 2011)

  A student’s susceptibility to stress becomes a major concern.

What is Stress?  Stress arises when the combination of internal and external pressures exceeds the 
individual’s resources to cope with their situation. (Williams, 1999) 
  Students are very likely to experience some or many stressors which may test their ability to cope: adapting to a new environment, balancing a heavy work load, making new friends, becoming more independent, and dealing with a myriad of other issues.