Money Linked to Mental Stress for College Students
College can be a stressful time for students for a number of reasons. Not only are these individuals often dealing with full course loads, they also run into stresses caused by money, jobs and different living situations.
According to a piece in the Independent National News, new research has shown money worries to be a significant stressor for some students. Research has sown the psychological well-being of students is lower than the average person. While there are a variety of reasons, one possible link is the financial strain.
One survey of 3,500 undergraduate and taught masters students found that one in three run out of money on a regular basis. Researchers suspect the broader social mix on today’s campuses is leading to the problem.
Previous studies have shown that students living away from home tend to suffer more financial stress. Other possible factors can include stressful accommodation situations and the transition to the more unstructured college environment.
The recent study, carried out by University College Dublin’s Geary Institute for the Irish Universities Association and the Higher Education Authority, found most university students do not hold significant debt.
At the same time, both male and female students have similar earnings expectations in the short-term. For long-term earnings, men expect to earn substantially more than women. For all students, 37 percent expressed an ambition to study to a masters level and another 22 percent want to continue to a PhD.
The desires of a continuing education, mixed with the workload, living situations and completely different environment can all take a toll on even the most organized student. As this starts to impact his or her mental health, steps need to be taken to lesson the burden.
