Stress Among College Students Research Paper Example

Introduction 

Life is known as one of the most stressful experiences we all share.  Everyone has had to deal with the stress of losing a loved one, moving, job loss, or one of the many events that can throw life off the rails.  In addition to these negative stressors, there are plenty of positive life event which induce stress.  Having a baby, getting married, and a new job opportunity are typically positive and amazing experiences, but they still cause stress.  One prime example of a life event that is positive but also stressful is college.  College is meant to be the time you get to stretch your wings and fly from the nest.  It allows you learn who you are, what you enjoy, and the people you want to surround yourself with.  In the same stroke, the stress level experienced by the average college students is extraordinarily high.  55% of students from across the nation identified their major stressors to be based in academics. Many students to have reported experiencing emotional and physical symptoms due to stress.  These symptoms range from headaches to anxiety (NYU, n.d). These high stress levels have numerous negative effects on college students.  Thus, college has forced students to learn how to cope with these new, higher stress levels.  Some students have learned how to deal with their stress using positive coping mechanisms.  A few examples of these positive coping mechanisms are physical exercise, social support, restful sleep, and a health well-balanced diet (Cleveland Clinic, 2021).  As with anything in life, some people have others supporting them and encouraging them to utilize those positive coping mechanisms.  Others are not always as lucky.  Some college students have turned to using negative and harmful coping mechanisms instead.  College students are turning to negative coping mechanisms more and more often.  These negative coping mechanisms vary in severity.  These harmful actions have led students to drinking, drug use, smoking, eating disorders, and cyber addiction (Tavolacci, 2013).

In this literature review, we will delve into the researched correlation between the stress college student experience and the negative coping mechanisms used by these students. Specifically, the motivations behind drinking and how it relates to college students’ stress. 

Understanding the relationship between stressed college students and the coping mechanisms they use is incredibly important.  Almost 12.8 million people between the ages of 18-24 attend college.  Also, 92% college students are under the age of 24 (Hanson, 2021).  The maturation of the adolescent brain is not complete until approximately 25-years-old.  The adolescent mind is highly susceptible to negative influence. The use of alcohol and its impact on an immature limbic system and prefrontal cortex can be detrimental.  Also, physical, mental, economical, and psychological stress can negatively impact the developing brain (Arain, 2013).  Also, the average aged college student has a higher chance of risk-taking behavior.  This can range from alcohol abuse to emotional struggles to academic failure (Lanier, 2001).   

The collegiate population contains a massive number of people.  To look at the issue of college students turning to alcohol for stress management, and not consider it an issue, is simply ignorant.  College students are the future of the next generation who have the opportunity to create a better world.  If we continue to ignore these obviously struggling students, these students are starting a life potentially wrecked by alcohol use. 

Stress

Stress can be defined as a “state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances” (Oxford, 2021).  However, understanding and defining stress varies when discussing stress in a scientific context.  Stress from a psychological perspective is different.  Stress can be explained as “when individuals perceive environmental demands to be a threat to their own well-being” (Boke et al. 2019).  If the demands of the situation overbear the resources and ability to cope with stress, the individual will experience phycological stress.  

When measuring stress is science, considering the measurable factors is required.  Stress is an emotion; therefore, it cannot be measured directly with numbers.  Instead, the symptoms of stress must be used.  Most research relating to stress is collected through The Perceived Stress Scale.  This questionnaire can be used to calculate how much perceived stress one has experienced in a given amount of time. (Cohen et al. 1983).  

Drinking Motives

First, understanding drinking motives is vital to identifying why someone is drinking in relation to stress.  The reason behind drinking relate to four motives. They are social, conformity, coping and enhancement (Conn et al. 2017).  While the motives outside of coping are important and need to be understood, alcohol being used as a coping mechanism can be seriously damaging.  Also, these four motives do not impact individually.  All the motives are interconnected and play a role alongside coping. 

 Specific demographic of student experience stress and manage stress differently.  For example, acculturative stress means an individual from an ethic minority is impacted by cultural change (Conn et al. 2017).  This involves stress from conformity and coping.  The sudden change a person from an ethnic or cultural minority will experience when they leave for a new and stressful academic environment can be detrimental.  In addition, different genders have shown a difference in stress. Traditional gender roles have an impact in specific areas of life and the stress stemming from it.  Men have displayed stress in relation to their occupation.  Whereas women tend to experience more stress in relationships (Temmen and Crockett, 2020).  This will vary for people who do not follow traditional gender roles or for people who are non-binary.  Alcohol consumption relating to stress tends to impact those with mental health disorder at higher numbers.  This includes social, enhancement, and coping.  Research indicates the number of students with mental illness use protective behavioral strategies at a lower rate (Vilarosa et al. 2018). 

Positive Coping Mechanisms 

Stress leads students to using different methods to cope with their stress.  Coping can be specified as the skill to adjust ones cognitive or behavioral state to manage a complex and demanding situation. There are two main types of coping: problem-focused coping and emotional-focused coping. Problem-focused coping means the issues is being confronted straight on and helps to manage the point of stress through logic. Emotional-focused coping relates to emotional regulation to manage stress. (Boke et al. 2019)

Another way coping can be explained is adaptive or maladaptive (Brougham et al. 2009). An adaptive type of stress management is protective behavioral strategies. The goal of protective behavioral strategies is to help specifically with drinking and drinking motives (Lee et al. 2019).  Thus, behavioral protective strategies are used to aid against alcohol consumption and alcohol related consequences.  These protective behavior strategies are being taught to college students to educate them about alcohol consumption and controlled use of alcohol.  Some colleges have adopted this method of educating their students about taking care of themselves.  The colleges implementing these strategies have statistical data proving a reduction in drinking. (Lee et al. 2017). 

Negative Coping Mechanisms 

Stress is not something most people can simply brush off.  When stress builds up, it demands to be dealt with in one way or another.