‘Tis the Season to Get Serious About Stress
Enlisting Faculty to Help College Students in Distress
The transition from fall to winter often brings more than a climate change on college campuses. It signals the rush of finals and pulling all-nighters to finish papers or to study for exams. The often mad countdown to winter vacation is one that students, faculty and staff all experience. While this can be a stressful time, it is also an appropriate time to get students AND faculty thinking about mental health.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems on college campuses and the most common disorder among adults. Anxiety can be generalized across a range of situations, or it may be situation-specific (e.g., test anxiety, social anxiety, public speaking anxiety). School faculty and staff members can play a key role in identifying and responding to distressed students and connecting them with appropriate campus resources.
According to the University of Maryland Counseling Center’s “Helping Students in Distress” guide, “…faculty and staff can provide adequate help through empathic listening, facilitating open discussion of problems, instilling hope, conveying acceptance, and offering basic advice.”
Are your faculty members equipped to handle students in distress? Take a look at the University of Maryland’s guide and consider adopting similar instructions for your campus.
As the semester comes to a close, be aware of upcoming stressors to keep on everyone’s radar.
Student Stress Calendar
December
- Extracurricular events (seasonal parties, finals and club events) strain student energy.
- Conflicts at home can result in pre-Christmas break worries.
- Financial strain that results from Christmas gifts and travel costs.
- Students feel relief after finals.
January
- Post-holiday depression ensues for students “stuck at home,” especially if other friends are away.
February
- Many students experience optimism because the 2nd semester is perceived as going downhill.
- College couples begin to establish stronger or weaker ties.
- Depression increases for those students who have failed to establish social relationships or academic success.
March
- Drug and alcohol use increases.
- Students experience existential crises related to graduation/end of the year.
- They ask, “Must I leave school? Is my education worth anything? Was my major a mistake? Why go on?”
- Academic pressures continue to increase, as many classes assign homework over spring break.
April
- Papers and exams are piling up due to previous avoidance.
- Social engagements and club activities take up extra time.
- Students are worrying about summer—saying goodbye to friends, getting a job, etc.
May
- Panic ensues about getting a job and being able to finance fall education or life after graduation.
- Depression may occur over leaving friends and facing conflicts at home with parents.
- Students experience worries over grades and academic performance.
- Students look back at the year and wonder if they should continue in the fall.
June/July
- Last-minute students feel panic over late enrollment.
- Graduated students begin to re-evaluate their self-worth due to difficulty getting a job and may come in for post-graduation career counseling or internship assistance.
- Student friendships may weaken over the summer, causing initial awkwardness in the fall.
Student Stress Calendar adapted from:
A Model for Identifying and Responding to Stress Periods of Students, Paul Larson and William Laramie, Berea College, KY