Many of us – faculty, students, and staff alike – are experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety in a world upended by the global pandemic, financial uncertainty, sustained social isolation, racially motivated violence, and divisive politics. Read on to learn how acute stress and anxiety impact our ability to learn and to teach; and how you can use trauma-informed teaching principles to support students.
The challenges of the last few years have exacerbated the mental health crisis at universities. Back in August of 2019, the CDC reported that over 25% of 18-24 year olds had “seriously considered suicide” in the last 30 days. By April of 2020, 80% of college students reported that Covid-19 had “negatively impacted their mental health,” and 85% identified focusing on schoolwork as one of their primary challenges.
Sarah Ketchen Lipson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at BU’s School of Public Health, offers more recent statistics. In the fall of 2020, Lipson conducted a survey of almost 33,000 college students across the country through the Healthy Minds Network, and found that two-thirds of students reported struggling with loneliness and isolation. 83% indicated that emotional or mental health challenges had impacted their academic performance in the prior 4 weeks, the highest proportion ever reported in this annual survey.
Research attests to the impact of acute and ongoing stress on the brain that these students are experiencing. Heightened levels of stress trigger our brains to focus on survival. Energy is rerouted from the prefrontal cortex, and as a result, our ability to concentrate, problem-solve, manage time, and other skills critical to learning and teaching are significantly impaired.
Lipson’s study offers a powerful picture of the toll of the last few years on students’ wellbeing, but it is important to recognize that students have always experienced and will continue to experience challenges that detract from their ability to learn. Carol Dolan, Clinical Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the School of Public Health, explains that we should assume that all of us have experienced significant stress and loss, particularly in the last few years. Moreover, minoritized students face additional ongoing stressors due to structural inequities.
While it would be inappropriate for faculty to serve as therapists for students, Dolan explains that adopting a trauma-informed teaching approach, in which we recognize that students’ adverse experiences (past or current) impact their ability to learn, can benefit everyone. Below are several trauma-informed teaching principles, accompanied by concrete strategies used by BU faculty for actualizing them:
Last but not least, recognize that you, too, are impacted by these times. Recognize signs of stress and extend compassion to yourself. The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office offers workshops and confidential one-on-one counseling sessions, as well as tips for self-care.
Last updated: July 3, 2023