An Overview of the Impact of Stress on College Students

Indianapolis, IN

The collegiate environment is an amalgam f heavy course loads and high stakes, which promotes chronic stress and the build-up of cortisol and other stress hormones. Stress has been heavily studied since 1936 and continues to be better understood as research is conducted and published. The buildup of acute to chronic stress causes a myriad of physical and mental symptoms that have a lasting impact on the body. These symptoms can be anything from high blood pressure and heart palpitations to interrupted sleep and decreased efficacy of long-term memory retention. In younger age groups this is especially troubling because the prefrontal cortex of the brain does not finish developing until the age of 25 and is highly sensitive to the impact of stress. As the up and coming generation, college students are preparing to lead the workforce and run the country in their various fields of study. The influence of chronic stress on college students needs to be understood and addressed to not only take steps to improve the quality of their lives, but to also improve the quality of our country. This project will raise awareness of the needs for stress management in college students that will lead to improvements on The University of Indianapolis’ campus. We are also obtaining IRB approval for a needs-based assessment concerning stress management techniques employed on the University of Indianapolis.