Cause Of Stress In College Students

2 Health Psychology is a field of psychology that contributes to both behavioral medicine and behavioral health; the scientific study of behaviors that relates to health enhancement, disease prevention, and rehabilitation. Stress has always been a major issue, and is something that reflects a person’s overall health in many ways and can impact us for many years to come. Knowing what causes stress, and how we can prevent and or treat stress is a major health issue that many people continue to struggle with in everyday situations. The phrase “college is the best time of your life” can be heard in many situations. Many teenagers dream about the day they choose which college to attend and everything that goes along with …show more content…
According to the American College Health Association’s 2006 survey on college students, the greatest health barrier on a students’ academic performance was stress. Of the 97,357 students who participated in the survey, 32% reported that academic stress had resulted in an incomplete, dropped course, or a low grade (Brogaard, 1). Many students feel that they must also maintain well academic standing in order to be considered successful, especially if they plan to attend a graduate school. Students also feel the need to perform well academically to please their parents, because many have a strong fear that they will not live up to their …show more content…
With students under so much pressure to perform well academically, it is no wonder that a student’s college career can be so stressful. Financial difficulties is also a leading cause of stress among college students. The cost of college has continued to skyrocket since the 1980’s. According to the National Center of Education Statistics, the average cost of a four year public university in 2013 was $15,918, and a private university was $32,617. If college tuition continues to rise in the same manner, 18 years from now, a student can expect to pay $102,900 for a four year public university, and $355,900 for a private university. In addition to the rising cost of tuition, students are forced to find a way to pay thousands of dollars a year to attend school, because of this, many students also experience stress through increasing loans. Their debt continues to grow every year with what feels like no way out. This adds to the pressure of finding a good job after graduation to repay those loans. Attending school and trying to maintain decent grades along with a social life is even more difficult when students must balance a job on top of school as well. It is also believed that adults returning to higher education are under an even greater amount of stress than the typical 18 year old freshman. Paying for school, careers, family responsibilities, and paying for their own child’s education someday, are many causes of stress that the “typical” students do not have