1. Running head: COLLEGE ANXIETY 1
College Students Relating Closely to Anxiety
Romina Shafikhani
San Jose State University

2. COLLEGE ANXIETY 2
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to distinguish the levels of stress and anxiety within college
students. Illustrating the specific aspects of college that can trigger anxiety amongst students as
well as provides statistics to further show the severity of anxiety in college. In addition, this
essay analyzes an experiment conducted at the University of Oklahoma that shows the direct
correlation between physical illness as well as emotional factors. Physical fitness proving to be
an integral part of an individual’s life and also a form of stress and anxiety reliever.

3. COLLEGE ANXIETY 3
College is a step right into adulthood and a step before entering the real world, awaiting
to face obstacles individually as an adult. This time span consists of an immense work load,
extracurricular activities, club meetings, internships, job interviews, and time set apart for
family. Although four years is said to be a normal length of time to obtain a bachelor’s degree,
today it is taking students on average five to six years for completion (National Center for
Education Statistics 2014). In addition to the significant increase of years, debt subsequently
increases as well due to not only the college tuition fee, but housing, textbooks, transportation,
and miscellaneous expenses. The new college environment which consists of different activities
around campus and unlimited amounts of food from the dining commons leave little to no room
for relaxation or physical exercise. Such social influences effect students tremendously on the
students’ physical activity and ability to choose meals full of nutrition; eventually leading to
physical diseases as well as stress and anxiety. Students are bombarded and overwhelmed by all
these negative statistics and the requirements that the College Board maintain. Therefore, levels
of stress and anxiety rise dramatically within college years, resulting in multiple negative
outcomes such as unhealthy eating habits, insomnia, a shift in personality, and in more serious
cases: depression.
Anxiety is a critical issue among college students, especially compared to others because
of high expectations from society and the desire to succeed in the real world. Stress is known as
a state of mental strain resulting from specific circumstances, whereas anxiety is defined as the
feeling of uneasiness or worry typically about an event or uncertain outcome. Students are only
told of what they have to face after college. However, the unknown is what is most concerning
and mentally exhausting to think about. The desire to succeed is an issue that all aspects of
society strive for, but college students specifically feel the need to fulfill their peers and family’s

4. COLLEGE ANXIETY 4
expectations which results in even more anxiety. According to the Anxiety and Depression
Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the
U.S, affecting 40 million adults in the United States (Anxiety and Depression Association of
America 2010). In addition, anxiety disorders are developed not only from the common set of
risk factors including genetics, personality, and brain mechanics, but can also be caused by life
events. As mentioned earlier, college is a significant life event that is incredibly influential to an
individual’s livelihood; independence, thousands of unfamiliar faces, rigorous course work, and
never ending activities are nonetheless social influences that can trigger anxiety.
Although the college atmosphere increases students’ levels of stress and anxiety, there
are certain occasions in which both health issues can be reduced. Exercising is one of the
numerous stress relieving activities. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate stress, it is
recommended to try to manage it. A recent poll by ADAA stated that only 14% of individuals
exercise in order to cope with both anxiety and stress (ADAA 2010). Studies show that physical
fitness is very effective in reducing fatigue, improving concentration and alertness, maintaining
mental fitness, and most importantly reducing stress and anxiety (ADAA 2010).
Constant physical activity has been a reoccurring issue among college students as they
learn to adapt to their new independent lifestyle. Since graduating high school, more than half of
college students revealed to have a significant decrease in physical activity even with college
facilities provided (i.e treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.) (American College Health
Association 2013). The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends students to
partake in either 30 minutes of vigorous activity for 5 days per week or a minimum of 20
minutes of exercise for 3 days per week (ACHA 2013). Such physical activities refers to high
intensity exercises including running or biking, that often times causes both sweating and heavy

5. COLLEGE ANXIETY 5
breathing (ACHA 2013). In addition to lack of exercise; poor nutrition, skipping meals, and
binge eating not only contribute to unhealthy weight gain but also directly relates to stress and
most importantly leads to anxiety.
Unfortunately, only 48.8% of college students fulfill ACHA’s recommendation, which
correlates with the 34% that reported as obese or overweight (ACHA 2013). Studies have
evaluated the relationship between both physical and emotional health through extensive
experiments and found that they complement one another on many levels.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to
disease, has shed light on the link between physical diseases and emotional factors (Alder 2007).
An experiment that was conducted in order to prove this hypothesis comes from a 13-year
prospective study which concluded that individuals diagnosed with severe depression had a 4.5
times higher risk of a cardiovascular disease compared with those who had no history of
depression (Alder 2007) . This study used a cross-sectional research design that consisted of 438
college students, 335 of which were female and 103 males (Alder 2007). The participants were
students from the University of Oklahoma, 18-30 years of age, and were requested to complete
both the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and the International Physical
Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) (Alder 2007). Results showed that students with high scores of
SSEIT also reported to have high scores in the IPAQ, proving that those who partake in physical
activity tend to have a higher IQ as well as attention span (Alder 2007). In addition to the
advanced mental capabilities, those individuals exemplified low levels of stress and anxiety,
further putting and importance on physical activity for college students (Alder 2007).
Being emotionally healthy is an integral part of being human and most importantly,
directly relates to physical fitness. Studies have reported that emotions provide the currency as

6. COLLEGE ANXIETY 6
the motivational force leading towards an individual’s best and worst behaviors or otherwise
known as mood (Dolan 2002). College is a new environment where students can be independent
and make their own decisions regarding meal consumption, participating in certain activities,
time management, and etc. Although, students often times tend to be overwhelmed by such
situations, as well as other influencing factors resulting in stress and anxiety, it is important to
omit unnecessary stress with physical fitness. Furthermore, college students should truly follow
health professionals’ advice and leave time for physical activity, whether it be 20 or 30 minutes.
Physical fitness will be incredibly beneficial to the students’ mental and physical state as well as
reduce anxiety and stress levels, thus making college more enjoyable.

7. COLLEGE ANXIETY 7
References
Alder, R. (2007). Psychoneuroimmunology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(3),
94-98.
American College Health Association. (2013). American College Health Association-National
College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive Summary Spring 2012.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (2010). Facts and statistics.
http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
Dolan, R.J. (2002). Emotion, cognition, and behavior. Science, 298(5596), 1191-1194.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). Institutional retention and graduation rates for
students, (083). http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/displa.asp?id+40