Case Study Chavez 1

Desiree Chavez

Prof Silva

HED 044

May 27 2018

The Stressors of College life and its impact

In observing the case of Katya and her severe anxiety, she has showcased

a multitude of issues that almost every undergrad with anxiety endures in their

college career. In Katyas case, her anxiety has progressed to such a point, where

she is unable to effectively handle her studies and has begun to endure an over-

whelming sense of low self-efficacy. In addition, Katyas overall anxiety has ulti-

mately inhibited her ability to cope with the stresses of performing at her best.

Furthermore, since Katya is unable to cope with her anxiety in an efficient manner

that will allow her to perform at her best, she has now begun to develop low self

esteem and depreciating self worth. However, for Katya, her overall anxiety is all

too similar to the millions of college students around the world.

For instance, in the article Stress and Academic Achievement and Under-

graduate Students in University Putra Malaysia by the international Conference

on Education and Educational Psychology, Dr Zafer Bekirogullari talks about the

stressors that are caused in university life and how the outcomes affect each and

every student stating, Studies show that entering university may bring strain or

stress (Gall, Evans, & Bellerose, 2000). This is because university students face

a changing education system, lifestyle, and social environment. University stu-

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dents need to reach certain levels of academic achievement to graduate.

(Bekirogullari, 2011). As stated earlier, Katya is unable cope with the stressors

of university life, and has thus began to experience the overwhelming sense of

failure and what she may believe to be a lack of competence in her accomplish-

ments. However, Katya, like many others, lack the appropriate and necessary ap-

proach for handling their anxiety. For instance, when we begin to adjust to new

situations, circumstances, and transition into what is unfamiliar to us, as humans,

we either take the new and the unfamiliar head on or we cower in fear and self

doubt and begin process of what we know to be low self-efficacy, thus leading to

stress and from there, anxiety.

In fact, authors Andrews, J. J., & Beehr, T. A. point to the issues of mis-

handling stress and emphasize on transitioning to first year studies in the article

Academic Stress: Factors Contributing to Stress and Test Anxiety Among College

Students, stating, Failing to cope with the stressors during the transition may

cause deterioration of academic performance and increase of psychological dis-

tress (Dwyer & Cummings,2001). The increase in stress during the first year

predicted the decrease of overall adjustment and lower grade point average (GPA)

(Wintre & Yaffe, 2000). As you can see, Katyas overall anxiety as a first year

student is not an isolated incident in terms of the pressure and stress that are expe-

rienced when having to transition into university life, unlike grade school.

Moreover, In Katyas case, I would suggest her to seek professional help

after her test and believe that it would be in her best interest to speak to someone
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close to her such as a family member, friend, or even a peer that is willing to lis-

ten to whatever adversity she may be facing at the moment. When contemplating

Katyas situation, I see myself in her predicament as well, in terms of feeling the

overwhelming sense of pressure to perform at your very best. However, I know

that I would need to take a moment to gather myself from the negative and over-

whelming self-doubt and speak to someone about my anxiety. I too have been in

Katyas situation before and knowing what it is like to feel that powerless in a sit-

uation where you, in fact, have all the power is unfathomable to me now.

For instance, In the article The effects of locus of control on perceived

stress among traditional and non-traditional college students, authors Golder-

mann, S., Philips, N., & Wood, K. discuss the various strategies and tactics for

developing better stress and anxiety management and how to effectively over-

come the adversities along with it stating, When we confront our issues, when we

assess our stressors, discuss these issues, and seek help. It is only then, that we

begin to see clarity and understand that they are only temporary (Goldmann,

1998).

In other words, it is normal to feel as though we have adversity in our lives, but to

have these challenges overcome you and take a toll on your mental health and

overall health, is a problem. Moreover, as humans, we must accept the fact that

life itself comes with challenges and to resist these challenges, overthink them,

and cower in the face of adversity is another. Being able to plan out, organize,

discuss our issues to others, and seek help are not only essential to reducing our
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anxieties, but to our overall well being. In Katyas case, what she feels is valid

and how she approaches her stress and anxieties make her human, but in order for

her to feel a higher sense of self-efficacy she must remember that life itself is a

challenge and without help, whether indirect or not, her overall mindset must be

change before anything else.

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Works Cited

Elias, H., Ping, W. S., & Abdullah, M. C. (2011). Stress and Academic

Achievement among Undergraduate Students in Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 646-655. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.

2011.11.288

Goldermann, S., Philips, N., & Wood, K. (1998). The effects of locus of con-

trol on perceived stress among traditional and non-traditional college stu-

dents. PsycEXTRA Dataset, 39(5), 1-20. doi:10.1037/e514412014-021

Andrews, J. J., & Beehr, T. A. (2013). Academic Stress: Factors Contributing

to Stress and Test Anxiety Among College Students. PsycEXTRA Dataset, 1-9.

doi:10.1037/e566962012-551

Morrison, R., & Oconnor, R. C. (2005). Predicting psychological distress in

college students: The role of rumination and stress. Journal of Clinical Psy-

chology, 61(4), 447-460. doi:10.1002/jclp.20021