Llian Daniele Frana

ID: 3530541

L6-39

Topic 3: University stress can affect mental health.

It is well known that universities have a vast impact on students' lives. However,
contrary to what is expected, being in a university can occasionally lead to more losses
than advantages. The university life is frequently associated with excessive stress,
which can clearly result in anxiety problems such as depression. According to Adegoke
(2014), in the recent years, the seeking for help for mental disorders has increased over
100% within higher education. This essay identifies why university may trigger
vulnerabilities that affect mental health and possible solutions for this issue.
Byrd and McKinney (2012, p. 185) suggest that Traditionally, student mental
health has been defined within the context of adjustment and developmental challenges
college students face. Considering this, the transition from high school to university is
one of the first challenging situations that students need to confront. The first year of
university is usually associated with the detachment from family and friends, which can
result in loneliness and insecurity. Furthermore, the new cultures and lifestyles that
students experience can be extremely shocking. As Davis (cited in Tartakovsky, 2008)
asserts, If students do not feel adequate to cope with the new environment of a
college campus, they could easily become susceptible to depression and anxiety. This
stress correlated with the higher education, however, does not often disappear with the
end of the first year once university demands adjustments throughout the entire course.
Another factor that plays an important role are the constant pressures in which
academic students are subjected to. A survey conducted by Melbourne School of
Engineering (cited in Kentish, 2013) found that high levels of assessment and excessive
workload are powerful stressors. According to Travers (2010), Levels of psychological
distress are linked to aspects of the study environment in terms of high work
pressure.... This can be easily understood once students are expected to complete many
tasks in a short deadline as well as achieving good grades to be successful at university.
Moreover, the financial pressures should also be considered an aggravation. An
appraisal made by Endsleigh in 2015 demonstrated that more than 70% (in comparison
to 59% in 2014) of university students work to pay for their tuition and other expenses.

Manage time between both activities may be incredibly difficult and exhaustive. As a
consequence, the studies can be affected, leading to frustration and loss of motivation.
Trombitas (2012) states that people who work over 20 hours weekly are more prone to
notify that money related anxiety has negatively affected their degree and that they
diminished their academic rhythm because of this stress.
Once depression and anxiety at college is seen as a growing issue, an especial
attention to deal with this problem should be given by universities. In this context, easy
access to counselling services should be provided for all students experiencing
difficulties. As Telley (2013) claims, this support must offer integration and wellbeing
between this people, promoting a healthy and functional environment. Additionally, an
adjustment on the teaching style could be done. As Tsai (2015) reports, many have been
written about how the educational system works like production lines, treating the
students as copies of each other and preparing them to be compliant workers. This
encourages students to measure themselves against other high-performing students, and
fosters culture of anxiety says Olmstead (2015). For this reason, professors might
reconsider their expectations about the students by decreasing the amount of
assignments or even providing a longer deadline.
In conclusion, several stressors in university can affect mental health. The
transition from high school to the new environment combined with the high pressures in
which students are subjected to can lead to frustration, anxiety and depression.
Fortunately, there are possible solutions to cope with this issue: the access to specialized
counselling services and the updating on teaching style. Besides avoid stress, these
measures can also be helpful to students manage their time between work and study,
providing them a better social and academic life.

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