Stress Common Among U

Stress Common Among U.S. College Students: Survey

March 19, 2008

Stress is a major problem for many U.S. college students, according to a survey that included 2,253 undergraduate students, ages 18-24, at 40 schools nationwide.

Four in 10 students said they were stressed often, nearly 20 percent said they felt stress all the time, one in five said they had felt too stressed to be with friends or do homework, and about the same number said things had been so bad in the past three months that they had given serious consideration to dropping out of school, the survey found.

The poll was conducted for the Associated Press and mtvU, a television network available at many colleges and universities.

Among the other findings:

	Many students said they had symptoms such as: difficulty concentrating, sleeping and being motivated; agitation; worry; being too tired to work; eating problems; and feeling lonely and depressed.
	About one in six said they had friends in the past year who had discussed committing suicide, and about one in 10 respondents said they had seriously considered suicide themselves.
	Primary sources of stress included school work and grades, financial problems, relationships and dating, family problems, and extracurricular activities.
	Women were more likely than men to feel stressed -- 45 percent vs. 34 percent.
	White students reported more stress than black and Hispanic students.
	About 26 percent of students said they considered talking to a counselor or getting other professional help, but only 15 percent said they actually did so.

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