Blog 4 - Research Proposal

Samuel Wan

Professor Goeller

Research in Disciplines: College!

February 26, 2021

Research Proposal

Working Title: Diving Deeper into College Students’ Mental Health 

Topic:

I will be exploring the subject of mental health among college students. This paper will explore why it is so common for college students to become depressed, anxious, and stressed. It will also talk about how it can affect the lives of the students in school and even outside their school life.

Research Question:

What are the causes of anxiety and depression among college students, and why is it the most common at this age? Why is a subject so serious often overlooked and yet heavily stigmatized?

Theoretical Frame:

In the study, “Prevalence of depression and anxiety in college students” done by Tanvi Shah and Titiksha Pol, 400 college students were administered questionnaires regarding mental health, and it was found that depression was frequent among 48.3% of college students while anxiety being frequent in 50% of students. These are very alarming statistics and it is important for people with depression and anxiety to get help right away. Since it is so common for people to struggle with their mental health, I think that most people tend to ignore it and disregard others suffering from it. I think it is important to investigate why anxiety and depression is so common among college students compared to other age groups. What are the causes of it and are people getting the help they need? More importantly, who is responsible for causing college students to become depressed? Some people and parents tend to blame the school; professors may assign tons of workload while others struggle paying for college. I will try to find if anxiety and depression affect people with different races equally or is it more common among certain types of race. 

Research and Plan:

My current strategy is to break the paper into two parts. The first part is to look for the causes of depression and anxiety among college students. The second part is to analyze how depression and anxiety affects the lives of college students.

The article “Socioeconomic Status and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in African American College Students: The Mediating Role of Hopelessness” by Temilola Salami and Rheeda Walker studies how the socioeconomic status of someone can cause tendencies to becoming depressed and anxious, more specifically, on African Americans. This article provides insight on a potential cause of depression and anxiety. It can also be used to see if African Americans are affected differently or disproportionally to other groups of people. The article “Anxiety and Depression in Cyberbullied College Students: A Retrospective Study” by Cristina Jenaro, Noelia Flores,and Cinthia Patricia Frías, shows the rise of anxiety and depression among college students who were victims of cyberbullying. This study also looks at another potential cause. Both studies show how the social environment of a college student can greatly affect their mental health. Whether it be the financial situation, race, or harassment, all these factors can contribute to the mental health of a college student.

The article, “Is Depression Related to Study Habits” by Glenda Drodz, discusses the relationship between depression and behavior, more specifically, study habits. There are significant changes in a person’s productivity and behavior when they are depressed. This study narrows down on college students and how depression has affected their study habits. The article “Depression, Anxiety, and Alcohol or Other Drug Use among College Students. Prevention Updates” by Virginia Ross studies the dangerous correlation between depression and drug abuse. This article discusses how both of these can go hand in hand and make each problem worse. It is likely for someone to have depression to also abuse a substance. It is clear that depression and anxiety can drastically affect the life of a college student, yet it is still overlooked by most people.

Bibliography

Drozd, Glenda P., and And Others. Is Depression Related to Study Habits? Nov. 1994. EBSCOhost, login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED389995&site=ehost-live.

Jenaro, Cristina, et al. “Anxiety and Depression in Cyberbullied College Students: A Retrospective Study.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 36, no. 1-2, SAGE Publications, 2021, pp. 579–602, doi:10.1177/0886260517730030.

Ross, Virginia, and Newton, MA. Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. “Depression, Anxiety, and Alcohol or Other Drug Use among College Students. Prevention Updates.” Education Development Center, Inc, Education Development Center, Inc, 1 Feb. 2004. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED485601&site=ehost-live

Salami, Temilola K., and Rheeda L. Walker. “Socioeconomic Status and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in African American College Students: The Mediating Role of Hopelessness.” Journal of Black Psychology, vol. 40, no. 3, SAGE Publications, 2014, pp. 275–90, doi:10.1177/0095798413486158.

Shah, Tanvi, and Titiksha Pol. “Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in College Students.” Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour, vol. 25, no. 1, Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd, 2020, pp. 10–13, doi:10.4103/jmhhb.jmhhb_16_20