As students become psychologically dependent on their technological
devices, an unhealthy connection can arise from this attachment that gives rise
to feelings of anxiety (Cheever et al., 2014). The World Health Organization
(WHO) defines mental health “ ...as a state of well-being in which every
individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses
of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to her or his community” (World Health Organization, 2014,
para.1). Studies indicate that the prevalence of mental health issues on
college campuses is widespread, with one-third of undergraduates exhibiting significant
symptoms of a mental health problem such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder,
or suicidality (Lepp & Karpinski, 2013). The American Psychological
Association (APA) defines anxiety
as "an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and
physical changes like increased blood pressure."
The use of technology adds a unique layer to
how students interact with these affordances and how these interactions and
excessive use can impact their mental well-being. It is not
uncommon for anxiety to be associated with technology given how attached we
have all become with these tools. Cheever et al. (2014) noted that those
students in the high usage group experienced higher levels of anxiety when
their devices were physically removed from them as well as when it was still
physically present, but the usage was restricted. The presence of addictive
behaviour, mediated by an unhealthy connection to their constant use, suggests
that students have developed emotional dependency and are susceptible to feel
heightened anxiety when their device is absent.
Vannucci et al. (2017) examined the impact of
time spent using social media on anxiety symptoms and the severity of it. They
suggested that the greater the amount of daily social media use, the greater
the association between anxiety symptoms and potential anxiety disorders. These
results may be due to a number of reasons: students receiving negative
feedbacks; observing stressful events in other people's lives; feeling pressure
to produce content; communication overload; negative comparisons; and the
seeking of validation from others through comments or likes (Vannucci et al.,
2017).Persistent feelings of needing to be connected can result in having
recurring intrusive thoughts and concerns about not being connected. The APA
refers to these recurring thoughts and concerns as an anxiety disorder which
can interfere with daily function. Knowing the difference between normal
feelings of anxiety and an anxiety disorder requiring medical attention can
help a person identify and treat the condition.
Having resources allocated
and dedicated towards managing and alleviating symptoms that students have act
as a form of primary intervention to ensure symptoms do not exacerbate into
addictions or other mental health concerns. Some of the key advantages of
Internet-based intervention relative to other programs is that they are easily
accessible, quite short and self-guided, which allows it to reach a larger
number of students. Some of these interventions come in the form of apps. Although
there is no ‘be-all and end-all’ app that is
going to magically erase all anxiety symptoms, there are a few that students
are using that seem to be effective.
Headspace is an app that offers both free
and subscription-based meditation sessions that vary in duration, topic, and
guidance level. There have been several studies that use Headspace, showcasing
its benefits. Something that really struck me was the 2018 study published in the Mindfulness
Journal, which found that after 10 days of using Headspace stress was reduced
by 14%. Less than a week and a half and there was a decrease in stress levels. This
app can be downloaded on the user’s phone and used anytime, anywhere.
A second app that can be used to
work through anxiety symptoms is called MindShift.
This free app was created by Anxiety Canada and offers tools that can be used,
such as checking in on yourself and your symptoms, learning more about anxiety,
some ‘chill out’ tools and tips and tricks to achieving what you want to work
on with anxiety.
Creating balance in one’s life is one of the
most important components of mental health and wellbeing (Peterson, 2017). The
idea of balance for mental health is that, instead of being pulled in multiple
directions with numerous technological affordances, students create balance and
manage how they engage with these tools. Given everyday life stressors,
achieving this balance can be difficult but can start with being intentional
with the use of technology.
References
American
Psychological Association (n.d.). Anxiety. Retrieved
Cheever,
N. A., Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Chavez, A. (2014). Out of sight is
not out of mind: The impact of restricting wireless
mobile device use on anxiety levels among low, moderate and high users. Computers
in Human Behavior, 37, 290-297.
doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.002
Felman,
A. (2018, October 26). "What to know about anxiety." Medical News Today. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323454.php.
Lepp. A.,
Barkley, J. E. and Karpinski, A. C. (2013). The relationship between cellphone
use,
academic performance, anxiety, and satisfaction
with life in college students.
Computers in Human Behaviour, 31,
343-350.
Vannucci,
A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2016;2017;). Social media use
and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207,
163-166.
doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040
World
Health Organization. (2014, August). In Mental health: a state of well-being. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/
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