Facts
74.9% of ASU students reported experiencing stress within the last school year.
27.4% of ASU students reported that stress affected their academic performance.
29.6% of ASU students reported that being overcommitted affected their academic performance.
27.3% of ASU students reported that being overcommitted had a high or very high effect on their stress levels.
ASU students reported the following items as having a high or very high affect on their stress level within the last school year:
36.6% academic responsibilities
27.3% being overcommitted
21.2% career-related issues
20.4% financial concerns
17.6% personal emotional issues
American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessent: Arizona State University Spring 2011. Baltimore: American College Health Association; Spring 2011 (n=1,748)
Stress
Stress is the way we react or respond physically, mentally, and/or emotionally to various conditions, changes, and demands of life.
The stress we experience is rooted in the “fight or flight” response, during which our bodies undergo physical changes that prepare us to respond to an exciting or dangerous situation. Once the situations has passed or is under control, our stress response subsides, allowing us to relax.
However, the constant demands of academic or personal life can prevent us from becoming fully relaxed and can lead to stress overload.
Top Stressors for ASU Students
Stressors are demands from the internal (self) or external (environment) that have the potential to produce stress. Factors or events, either real or imagined, can create a state of stress.
Stressors can generally be divided into two classes:
Ongoing everyday chronic stressors
Isolated or major events
Ongoing everyday chronic stressors for college students can be grouped into the following categories:
School
Time
Money
Relationships
Ongoing