Other research has explored sources of stress. For example, in interviews conducted for the Applied Cognitive Ergonomics Laboratory at Texas A&M University, “academic was the top anxiety,” says postdoctoral researcher Xiaomei Wang.
One Student Voice survey respondent says the focus on mental health is all talk. “No one actively reaches out and makes sure students are doing OK, and no one takes action to address the root causes of the issues. No matter how anxious or depressed you are, that paper’s still due on Friday.”
Respondents, 46 percent of whom are currently taking all online courses from home, report greater mental health needs if they fall into certain at-risk groups. Forty-three percent of those identifying as nonbinary in gender, for example, say their mental health has decreased a lot since COVID (versus 32 percent of all respondents). The good news? These students were three times more likely than the full sample to have recently used college counseling.