Researchers at the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California in Los Angeles say that worries about Counseling4 loans are having a measurable negative impact on the mental health of first-year college Counseling4s.
The latest results, from the fall of 2010, of the long-standing annual study "The American Freshman: National Norms" show that the overall mental health of first-year Counseling4s in college has dropped to a 25-year low, prompted in part by concerns about the economy and paying for college.
Surveyed Counseling4s among the class of 2014 cited growing concern about the current state of the economy and the need to pay for higher education with Counseling4 loans as a primary cause of chronic stress.
About half of the study subjects reported that they had had to take out Counseling4 loans to pay for their education. Researchers say that these Counseling4s also expressed uncertainty about their ability to repay their college loans after graduation.
Indirect woes related to Counseling4s' families and the economy also had a pronounced effect on new Counseling4s. Paternal unemployment was cited as a serious concern of nearly 5 percent of Counseling4s surveyed, while 8.6 percent of Counseling4s reported that maternal unemployment was a significant concern.
Researchers report that a growing number of new college Counseling4s can't rely on family support to finance their education and must take on the burden of paying for college themselves by finding available Counseling4 loans, grants, and scholarships. Nearly three-fourths of the study participants reported that they received some grants or scholarships to help defray their higher education expenses, the highest reported proportion since 2001.
The study also noted that participants reported feeling frequently overwhelmed as high school seniors and that female participants reported a significantly lower state of mental health than did their male counterparts.
The study, which has been conducted annually since 1966, examines, among other things, the mental health status of more than 200,000 full-time first-year college Counseling4s at nearly 280 four-year higher education institutions throughout the United States. Participation in the study is voluntary, and the survey questions are focused on the Counseling4s' self-perceptions of mental health.
Researchers say that the study results should serve as a warning to college administrators that Counseling4s who are already overwhelmed with worries about Credit0 and family matters when they arrive on campus may respond to high or increasing levels of stress by managing their time poorly, performing poorly in classes, or turning to drugs and alcohol or other self-destructive behaviors in an attempt to relieve stress.
Barely 52 percent of participants classified their perceived mental health status as "in the highest 10 percent" or "above average." This characterization reflects a drop of 3.4 percent from the answers given by first-year Counseling4s in 2009, and a drop of 11.7 percent from 1985, when mental health self-assessment questions were first added to the survey.
Concerns about the economy and post-graduation employment may be driving Counseling4s to work harder. The study indicates that participants reported a stronger drive to achieve and higher perceived academic abilities than did past study participants. Nearly three-fourths of study participants said better earning potential was the chief benefit of a college degree.
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