In Class & Homework [Introduction Activity]

IQ: What are the effects of Academic stress on college students health?

Academic stress is a widespread experience that many students endure throughout their academic careers. Dusselier et al. ‘s (2005) quantitative study found that around 55 percent of college students at Iowa State University in the United States related stress to their schoolwork; and with intense academic stress, students undergo various negative effects such as emotional instability, sleep problems, and fatigue. According to Chen et al. ‘s (2015) who administered questionnaires to Taiwanese high school adolescents, the students went through severe fatigue, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms. Additionally, Komarov et al., (2020) found positive correlations between stress, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness within graduate students in their hybrid study using quantitative and qualitative methods. It is clear that academic stress has a detrimental impact on students’ psychological health which manifests through sleep problems, fatigue, and emotional stability. As students experience this constant and intense stress, they become more susceptible to various mental illnesses like anxiety disorders and depression which can even lead to suicide.

Since academic stress is widely experienced, many more people will undergo various mental health challenges. These challenges are dangerous to an individual’s well-being and negatively affect their lives. Understanding how stress affects the brain shows how mental health problems occur and can provide potential solutions for them. The brain’s amygdala is a region of interest because it is related to the development of anxiety and is important for processing fearful and threatening experiences (Roozendaal et al., 2009). Moreover, a process called long-term potentiation (LTP) is worth investigating because it is a process of strengthening synapses in the brain through pattern activities (Roozendaal et al. 2009). Since academic stress is consistent, it can cause LTP and can affect the functionality of the brain, specifically the amygdala. In this study, the relation between constant academic stress, amygdala activity, and mental health is researched to understand how academic stress can be detrimental to students in the long run. As a result of persistent academic stress, students are more likely to experience an increase in mental health problems, such as anxiety, due to the degradation of the amygdala.

Answer and Discuss in groups or pairs but you will submit individually:

Start In Class:

1. What is the main issue/problem this paper seems to be covering? Why do you think so? The paper discusses the effect of academic stress on the amygdala, and how the degradation of the amygdala leads to reduced mental health. The student explains this in their thesis statement, “In this study, the relation between constant academic stress, amygdala activity, and mental health is researched to understand how academic stress can be detrimental to students in the long run.”
2. What research sources does this paper seem to be using to help makes its arguments (use their names)? Why do you think so?

 The author lists several sources to help their arguments, including Dusselier et al. ‘s (2005) quantitative study found that around 55 per cent of college students at Iowa State University in the United States related stress to their schoolwork & according to Chen et al. ‘s (2015) who administered questionnaires to Taiwanese high school adolescents, the students went through severe fatigue, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms. Lastly, Komarov et al., (2020) found positive correlations between stress, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness within graduate students in their hybrid study using quantitative and qualitative methods.

3. What/where is this paper’s thesis? Why do you think so?

The paper’s thesis is the last sentence of the second paragraph of the introduction. It answers the inquiry question and summarises the author’s argument.

4. What are the 3 main supporting arguments of their thesis position? In otherwords, what 3 main supports will this paper be developing later on? Why do you think so?
   1. The constant exposure to academic stress has a detrimental effect on students’ mental health. Komarov et al., (2020) showed a positive correlation between stress, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness among graduate students.
   2. The amygdala is a region of the brain responsible for processing stressful events, including anxiety according to the study done by Roozendaal et al. (2009)
   3. Constant academic stress can lead to the degradation of the amygdala by strengthening neural pathways in the brain related to stress. (Roozendaal et al. 2009).

For Home:

• Highlight in different colors: areas of SOP, both types of Background Information, and Table of Contents. Pink (Statement of Problem), Yellow (Background information), Turquoise (Table of Contents)
• Discuss how student uses their sources to help their argument but is also consistently adding their own analysis and arguments. The student uses the sources to expand on provided arguments and as a way to introduce ideas. For example, the first paragraph of the introduction focuses on the prevalence of academic stress among different groups of students. They also linked the constant pressure on students to mental fatigue. After linking those two ideas, the author can propose an increased susceptibility to mental illness due to academic stress. In the second paragraph, the author introduces the audience to the amygdala and its importance in the brain’s ability to process traumatic events. The author uses that information to argue that increased stress causes degradation of the amygdala and that degradation can lead to increased risk for mental health concerns.
• Discuss how paper goes from broad topic of first sentence, to how specific it gets at the end.  The author provides background information on academic stress in the first paragraph. By the end of the introduction, the author has linked three concepts.