Anxiety is classified as a mental health crisis among today’s college students. According to new research by Dr. Kristy Tucciarone, Program Chair and Professor of Advertising and Strategic Communications at Lindenwood University, factors associated with anxiety among students include: helicopter parents, social media, pressure to succeed, equating good grades to success, structure in high school, high cost of college, locus of control, and materialistic values. Tucciarone found that institutions that advertise anxiety resources have a positive effect on student enrollment and student mental health.
“If universities advertise anxiety resources,” Tucciarone wrote in the latest issue of College & University, “this communicates a pervasive message that: the school values and cares for me as an individual; I am not just a number, the school values my overall success as both a person and a student; and the school resources allow me to navigate in a relaxed, comfortable, secure, supported, and confident manner.”
Tucciarone found that students seek real stories about “students’ anxiety, causes, and the feeling of not being alone.” In addition, she found that students seek straightforward messages about resources such as activities to reduce stress, services and treatments offered at the counseling center, coping strategies, group meetings, location/hours of operation/phone, positive affirmation messages, student success workshops, and mental health screenings. Resources also include animal therapy, meditation rooms, and yoga.
“Universities that feature advertisements communicating both academic and emotional resources to prospective students are more likely to turn college seekers into enrolled students,” she wrote.
Other articles in this issue include:
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