HONOLULU – Stress was the most frequently cited psychological factor adversely affecting the academic performance of college students, according to a survey conducted in spring 2008 by the American College Health Association.
Almost 34% of students cited stress as a factor affecting academic performance, up from 29% in spring 2000, Dr. Adele L. Martel said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Sleep was the second most common psychological factor cited by the students, rising from 21% in 2000 to 26% in 2008.
Relationship difficulties, holding steady at about 15% between 2000 and 2008, have recently been overtaken by the Internet in their impact on academic performance, said Dr. Martel, who is affiliated with Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Cited by only 9% of college students in 2000, the Internet affected the academic performance of nearly 17% in 2008, according to data from the National College Health Assessment, which surveyed more than 80,000 students on 106 campuses.
In 2008, 7% of students cited attention-deficit disorder, more than double the 3% who mentioned that as a factor in 2000.
A greater proportion of students also cited learning disabilities as affecting their academic performance, the rate nearly doubling between 2000 and 2008.
Alcohol use has remained steady at about 8%, except for a temporary increase to 10% in spring 2002. Dr. Martel noted that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred within that school year, but she said she had no way of knowing whether that was a reason for the 1-year increase.
Even when the proportion of students citing a certain factor remains about the same from 1 year to the next, the need for mental health services for college students might be increasing.
“The percentages are staying the same, but we know we have more college students, so the numbers are higher,” Dr. Martel said.
In 2000, the total undergraduate fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions was 13.2 million, and this rose to approximately 15.5 million individuals in 2008.
Dr. Martel said she had no conflicts of interest related to her presentation.