College Stress, New and Old: What Can Parents do to Support their Students
By, John S. Schell, Ph.D., Senior Psychologist Psychological Services/University Health Services
The anticipation of a new school year has many students and families preparing, either to begin their college journey or to pick up where they abruptly left off. Unfortunately, with the COVID-19 pandemic still a major concern, it can also be a time filled with extra uncertainty and many questions. Will students be back on campus and what will that look like? Will classes be in-person, online, or a hybrid of some sort? How will schools mitigate the risk of transmission? Last, but certainly not least: what can I do as a college student to reduce that risk for myself? These variables no doubt contribute to the stress and anxiety levels that many college students already face.
Stressors
Traditionally, we think about the typical stressors associated with the overall college experience—leaving home (perhaps for the first time), establishing a new social group, having to be more independent and self-sufficient, tackling more challenging coursework—but the challenges many college students face today is much more significant.
Today’s college students have grown up with increased pressure to be perfect and “successful,” all while trying to navigate the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood. Although perhaps not entirely new, these encounters are felt much more acutely by this generation of students. And now these same students are also dealing with the challenges of a pandemic, the isolation from quarantine and social distancing, the economic fallout, and the conflict and strife within our country and around the world associated with years of systemic racism, discrimination, oppression, and trauma. This is a particularly challenging time for anyone, let alone today’s new and returning college students.
How you can support your child
As parents, how can you best support your children as they prepare to return for another academic year in whatever format it takes on? How can you best encourage them through both the traditional college stressors as well as the added stress of this unprecedented time?
The first step is awareness.
Realize what they are going through, ask questions, and listen -- really listen to their answers. Provide them with unconditional love, while instilling a sense of hope, positivity and optimism, not just for today but for their future. Encourage them to take charge of their lives and to make things better, but also give them permission to make mistakes. Remind them that they do not have to have all of the answers, and that it is going to take time to figure everything out. When they do make mistakes, provide warmth and not judgment, encouragement to learn from their missteps and most importantly, to grow from the adversity in their lives. When they need help -- perhaps even more help than you can provide -- encourage them to make some time to talk with their instructors, advisors, mentors, and even mental health professionals on campus.
By doing so, you are not only encouraging help seeking behavior, you are destigmatizing mental health issues and emboldening them to take charge of their happiness and their wellness, now and in their future while at the same time, enabling them to truly become their best self.
COUNSELING RESOURCES
You can reach Psychological Services at (330) 672-2487 https://www.kent.edu/psych, while other mental health resources on campus and in the community can be found at https://www.kent.edu/stepupspeakout.
For COVID-19 specific mental health resources, refer to:
- Resources for anxiety and your mental health in a global climate of uncertainty https://www.virusanxiety.com/
- Tips for viewing media coverage of COVID-19 (from American Psychological Association) https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/pandemics
- Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) https://www.samhsa.gov/
- Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 (from CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprepare%2Fmanaging-stress-anxiety.html