You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Eighty-five percent of college students said they are experiencing increased stress and anxiety due to the coronavirus pandemic and uncertainty about continuing their education, according to a survey conducted by TimelyMD, a higher education telehealth company. But less than a quarter of students surveyed said they have reached out to a therapist for help, which suggests an “awareness gap” about the availability of virtual counseling resources, a release from TimelyMD said.
“The hazy outlook for a safe return to campus only adds to the emotional toll of students’ sustained feelings of fear, uncertainty and isolation relating to the coronavirus,” said Alan Dennington, chief medical officer at TimelyMD.
Among the 502 survey respondents, who attend both two- and four-year colleges and are mostly between the ages of 18 and 23, their top three concerns causing heightened stress and anxiety were directly related to education and campus closures, the release said. Seventy-two percent said they “feel uncertainty of the future of their education,” and 60 percent reported difficulties with remote learning. Most students reported that a coping mechanism for them during the pandemic has been television and streaming services, and fewer are turning to phone calls, physical exercise or spending time outdoors, the release said.
