Study: College students feel anxious about presidential election
Survey conducted by virtual provider
Students at colleges and universities across the United States are feeling significant stress and anxiety about the upcoming presidential election, according to a recent study.
TimelyCare.com, a higher education virtual health and wellbeing provider, collected data from 1,400 students this past July in all regions of the country. The students ranged from 18 to 24-years old.
According to Jerry Walker, Ph.D., executive director of mental health services for TimelyCare, mental health issues are one of the primary reasons that students discontinue college.
TimelyCare provides telemedicine services 24/7 and partners with higher education counseling centers to give emotional and crisis support in 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, he said.
Beyond academic-related worries, the main concerns usually cited by students include cost of living, relationship issues, and financial woes.
The November election is adding another layer to how students are feeling. Heading into the fall semester, the study showed 65% of respondents experiencing mental health issues like stress, anxiety, or depression.
In addition, 52% said engaging in political dialogue on campus impacts their mental health.
Sixty-three percent of students said they plan to vote.
When asked to use one word to describe their feeling approaching the presidential election, 14% of respondents said concerned, 12% said anxious and 6% said scared. Frustrated and ambivalent were the terms used by 4% of students in both cases.
However, it was not all bad. More positive words like hopeful (26%) and excited (17%) were also among the words mentioned.
Walker said the “consistency” of the top three mental health concerns: (stress, anxiety, depression) surprised him the most.
He also referred to the prevalence of relationship issues at that age, calling them, “a constant paradigm in that community…a phase of life they must work to address.”
Prior to Joe Biden dropping out of the race, Walker was also surprised that one-third of the students noted they had already decided the candidate who would receive their vote.
The report also looked at student concerns based on political party affiliation.
Seventy-two percent of students who are Democratic party affiliates reported more anxiousness about the election, compared to 64% of Republican affiliates.
Also, 74% likely to vote Democrat said they would prefer a different Presidential candidate versus 61% of students aligned with the Republican party.
Also 80% of Democratic affiliates said they are more likely to support age limits for presidential candidates compared to 74% on the Republican side.
Collectively, 77% of students believe their candidate cares about issues that are important to them.
Walker said he hopes psychologists and other mental health professionals can use this type of data as part of their practices—recognizing the numerous stressors university-age students face that may not be problematic at other phases of their lives.
“They have high stakes in political discourse and how it affects them,” Walker said of the students. “They are planning their futures and asking, `What comes next for me?’”
Speaking in general about TimelyCare, Walker noted there are psychologists on staff, licensed in multiple states, with master’s level and above degrees. Psychiatrists, physicians, licensed marriage counselors, social workers and more also comprise the staff.
He said more than 50% of the clinicians are people of minority status, with that level of diversity “better able to match the needs of students of the same race and backgrounds.”
Walker added that telehealth is an “obvious answer,” to the lack of access to brick-and-mortar mental health resources for students of college age.
Being available 24/7 works with the students’ schedules, is convenient on weekends, and addresses the needs of students traveling abroad, he said.
“One of the coolest findings in our research is that BIPOC individuals are much more likely to take advantage of (telehealth services) compared to in-person.”