Study shows academics cause most stress for students

“Study tip: laminate your notes so the tears roll off,” one Yik-Yak user said on UNO’s hottest Yaks section. This was just one of many posts commenting on how stressful and depressed students feel during the most important time of the semester.

Final exams, final grades and preparing for the next school year or life after college are all thoughts sprinting through the minds of young adults on all campuses across the country.

With the school year winding down, the final few weeks of the semester have proven to be the most stressful time of the year for the most stressed group of people on the planet.

The American College Health Association (ACHA) conducted a survey of respondents to evaluate the overall health of college students, which include stress and anxiety levels.

Within the last 12 months, 43 percent of college students admitted experiencing above average stress .Competing against multiple factors like sickness (cold and flu), working and finances, 30 percent of students also said that stress was the biggest factor in negative academic results.

The second and third most common factors were anxiety (23.7 percent) and sleep difficulties (20.4 percent). All three of these elements work together to drastically reduce students’ moods and their grades.

While students nationwide deal with varying levels of stress throughout the school year, exam time and the moments leading up to it seem to show the highest levels of stress.

“It’s hard to say whether [stress peaks] in the middle of exams or the time leading up to it,” said Dr. Elliott Beaton, an assistant professor in the Psychology department and director of the Stress, Cognition and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) laboratory at UNO, which studies stress and the effects it has on brain development, brain function and behavior with children and young adults — including UNO students.

“It’s a culmination. You have students who may be anxious for exam time before it even happens, and then they’re in the middle of it and they are anxious in the middle of it wondering how things are going to turn out.”

Based on the results of the ACHA study, academics are the biggest reason for stress, depression and anxiety for college students.

Trumping other possible options like the death of a family member or friend (15.6 percent) and intimate relationships (29.7 percent), 44 percent of students named academics as the toughest thing to handle,.

In any time within the last 12 months, 85 percent of students admitted feeling overwhelmed by all of their obligations, 47.8 percent felt hopeless and 35 percent felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.

Despite the study showing schoolwork is the main culprit of stress among college students and that stress can reach very high levels, Beaton doesn’t believe easier exams or academic workload will help students.

“I think tests aren’t that hard. I don’t think we help our students by dumbing tests down,” Beaton said.

Instead of making tests easier or making a lighter workload, students should try to practice positive coping mechanisms to deal with stress and avoiding negative coping mechanisms, like drug use or practicing bad lifestyle habits.

Students claimed difficulty sleeping was another factor of negative academic performance (20.4 percent), behind only stress and anxiety (23.7 percent).

In the study, 43.7 percent of students felt tired and sleepy three to five days of the week.

Dr. Beaton said lack of sleep actually increases stress levels while decreasing attention span and mood, making the late night cram a pipe dream. Around exam time, anticipatory stress is a common reason of difficult sleeping.

“When you’re really anxious about something it can be really hard to sleep, or when you’re really anxious about something, people will sleep to try and avoid those things,” Beaton said.

With stress, drug-abuse is a likely companion, giving the user a sense of relief. Dr. Jeremy Peres, a post-doctoral counselor at the UNO Counseling Center, says drugs are not an effective answer to your problems.

“Drugs might help with symptoms in the immediate short-term, but certainly not going to help in the long-term, and it’s not going to help you address the thing that’s stressing you out to begin with, which could be those increased demands from life or from school,” Peres said.

At the Counseling Center, counselors like Peres help assess and aid students dealing with stress, depression, drug abuse and any other mental or physical issues they may be going through.

A counseling service on college campuses is a necessity, as depression that is gone untreated can have deadly results.

In an Emory University study, there are more than 1,000 reported suicides on college campuses per year and depression is a common cause for suicide attempts. The study also showed that two-thirds of people who die from suicide are depressed.

A big tip for battling stress, depression and anxiety during exam time is to not push yourself. Taking small breaks in between studying, managing time correctly, spending time with family or friends doing enjoyable activities and meditation are just a few techniques that can dramatically relieve stress.

However, the best way to alleviate stress is to accomplish the goal set in front of you.

“It’s important to remember in that moderate level of stress that accomplishing your goals and doing the things that you need to do. After you get that done you will feel better about yourself,” Peres said.

Humans don’t experience stress for negative impacts on their life. Stress can be a positive factor in life. It’s important to monitor stress levels as too much or not enough can both have negative effects.

“Stress is something that has evolved to keep us alive,” Beaton said.

“You want to have some stress. If you have no stress then you have no real performance and no motivation. If you have too much stress then you’ll become ineffective.”

While college students are easily the most stressed group in the world, there is a reason to be optimistic.

Beaton said that as people get older, they learn how to better handle stress.

The American Psychology Association reported that the majority of adults feel confident in their problem-solving abilities and that 41 percent of adults engage in active stress management activities.

For students dealing with overwhelming levels of stress, depression or anxiety, the Counseling Center offers services and pamphlets during the weekday from 8 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit UNO’s Counseling Services website to learn more about the Counseling Center and how to get help if needed.