Research Paper Psych 1
Research Paper Psych 1
Research Paper Psych 1
Lily Dashiell
Introduction to Psychology
Research Paper
Chesapeake College
April 4, 2022
[Mental Health in College Students] 2
Introduction
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and the functions of the human mind. This
branch of science allows for us to look deeper into the human mind and discover the meaning
and processes behind our thoughts and feelings. A complex part of the human psyche is the
impact and causes of mental illness. Many people suffer from mental illnesses, approximately
26% of adults in America, that's about 1 in 4 adults. This project will take a deeper look into how
education impacts the mental health of college students. The goal is to see what specifically
causes or worsens these illnesses and how they can be prevented or reduced. In order to
achieve this, ten college aged students will be given a survey. My hypothesis is that higher
Method
The number of subjects I'll be surveying will be ten. Each subject is currently enrolled in
college and will give their unbiased opinion on the subject matter. This survey takes into
account the gender identity and age of the subjects. It will also ask how many classes are being
taken by each subject. All of the people surveyed were found through school or previous friends
from high school that also go to college. The gender identity is very broad, ranging from male
Do you believe your education is a reason for any stress you feel
If you weren't in school do you believe your anxiety would be easier to manage
Do you believe college students are more susceptible to mental health problems
Describe why or why not you believe college students are at a higher risk for mental health
problems
[Mental Health in College Students] 3
Give an example of a situation (regarding education) that has caused an issue with mental
Has mental health impacted your grades? If so, how and why.
Describe any changes you've seen in mental health for you or others since enrolling in higher
education.
If you have anything more to add please write here! *not required*
Results
The results I got from this survey were very eye opening. A majority of the responses
were somewhat predictable based on my own college experience. However, getting to see other
people's perspectives was very interesting. Each subject claimed they experience daily stress in
some form. This wasn't surprising to me considering the state of the world right now. The most
surprising thing was what the student believed to be a major root of the stress. I was expecting it
to only be due dates and amount of course load, however there were a few things different.
Subjects mentioned not feeling confident they're taking the right path, having trouble
maintaining relationships, issues with respect and inclusion, especially LGBTQ+ members and
people of color. These issues are present in all genders. Something mentioned a lot was not
having mental health support. Students feel there isn't an easily accessible way to reach out for
support. Something that piqued my interest was the fact that each subject was able to give a
specific response when asked if they can provide an example of something that has affected
their mental health. A majority of the subjects also stated their mental health has impacted their
grades. The responses were mostly similar but differed slightly just by the person's experience.
For instance those taking heavier course loads experienced a higher difficulty to keep up with
work.
Current Research
[Mental Health in College Students] 4
Mental health in college students is an issue that's experienced around the country, and
even around the world. Looking into scholarly articles about this issue brought up many other
issues that can affect the mental wellbeing of college students. The National Library of Medicine
published a paper on this, they brought to light the non traditional college student. When
thinking of students in college, oftentimes the traditional student comes to mind, young adults
fresh out of high school. College is full of older adults who are married or have children. These
situations can present a whole other world of mental stressors. Having to take care of a child
while also balancing education and most likely a full time job can be extremely taxing on your
mental health. According to the National Library of Medicine, 11.9% of college students suffer
from an anxiety disorder. Depression rates in college students are 7 to 9%. Suicide is also
stated to be very prevelent in college students, with 6.7% saying they had suicidal intentions.
This paper goes into detail on all the different mental health issues that are prevalent in some
college students, including autism, ADHD, eating disorders, and substance abuse. There's also
a section on identifying behaviors in these illnesses, and treatments that can be beneficial. The
Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds also wrote an article on college students mental health. In
this article, the authors make a point of suicide prevention, specifically for those in college. The
article gives some scary statistics, for example how 73% of students experience some sort of
mental health crisis during college. Or how ⅓ of college students felt so depressed they report
having trouble functioning. There is also a focus on how little services are offered for students
with mental health issues. In small to moderate sized campuses the ratio of counselors to
students is 1:1000-2000, and on large campuses it's 1:2000-3500. It's important to remember
before we can take steps to fix these issues we need to identify what's causing these issues. A
study was performed by a researcher at Boston University, she found the findings to indicate a
need for accommodations to be put in place for students who are struggling with mental health.
Specifically she mentioned the idea of creating more flexible deadlines, and understanding that
the students talent shouldnt be solely dependent on their grade in the class. Lipton, the
[Mental Health in College Students] 5
researcher, explained how there was a major gap between students who were suffering from
mental health problems, and the amount of students receiving treatment. Lipton suggested
adding mental health education into the curriculum, allowing people to better understand it and
Conclusion
This survey was very eye opening. It really showed the extent of how many college
students are struggling in terms of their mental wellness. It's even more compelling with the
issues that are causing these mental stressors. The fact that students don't feel safe or
There are also issues that professors themselves can work on, such as reaching out to students
in the form of weekly emails, simply letting them know that they're on your side would be a
major boost for students. As a student knowing a professor is looking out for you can be
something that provides a lot of comfort. The research I conducted only made this issue seem
more important. Students are suffering around the world with these issues, and oftentimes it can
lead to them taking their own lives. Research should be continued in order to truly understand
the struggle of the modern day student and everything affecting them. Administrators and
professors should be studied as well. It's important to involve all parties within this study, that
way a solution can be found that works for everyone. There needs to be an understanding that
mental health is way more important than getting perfect grades. Overall I feel that my
hypothesis was accurate. The responses I collected confirmed suspicions and the research
conducted only solidifies it. This issue needs to be taken more seriously and most importantly,
References:
Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Zulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015, October). College
students: Mental Health Problems and treatment considerations. Academic psychiatry :
the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and
the Association for Academic Psychiatry. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4527955/
studnet, B. U., George, Student, B., Student, B. U., Maio, H. A., Alessandra K of BU
Parents United, Student, D., Faculty, C., Parent, B. U. U., alani, S., Parent, Abagail,
Gulyn, L. M. K., Sandy, Schwartzkopff, D. L., Chester, L., Annoyed, McAlpine, K. J.,
Again, A., … friend, A. (2021, February 17). Depression, anxiety, loneliness are peaking
in college students. The Brink. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/depression-anxiety-loneliness-are-peaking-in-college-
students/
The College Mental Health Crisis: A call for cultural ... Clay Center For Young Healthy
Minds . (2017, February 7). Retrieved April 3, 2022, from
https://www.mghclaycenter.org/parenting-concerns/college-mental-health-crisis-call-
cultural-change-part-2/
Appendix:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18hD5nls34fnMcLSXKPzc7GlkpO6F42FsfOXXqEltNLw/
edit#responses