According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, adults under 30 are four times as likely as those ages 65 and older to rate their mental health as poor or fair.
Since the majority of Liberty University’s student body is in that age group, two graduate professors at Liberty University offered their advice on how to address and combat the issues facing young adults today.
Stacey Lilley, a professor in the Department of Counselor Education & Family Studies, acknowledged the intense pressure faced by college students.
“There’s so much stress,” Lilley said. “I think there’s a lot of pressure. You got academic pressure, for sure, but I honestly think it’s a big deal when your kid launches and goes to college. I don’t think a lot of parents realize, transitionally, how big of a deal that is.”
Beginning college is a major life event. It marks the transition into independence and adult life, which can bring intense emotions.
An article published in “Frontiers in Psychology” states that adolescent brains are still developing. The resultant hormonal changes, combined with the various hurdles that college students experience, feed into feelings of stress and anxiety.
That stress can compound when financial issues enter the picture.
According to an article by the Associated Press, over 9 million student loan borrowers are in default as of 2026. With college tuition prices on the rise and college loan debt increasing each semester, students frequently stress over financial concerns to reach graduation with as little debt as possible.
Laura Daniel, an assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education & Family Studies, emphasized the extra steps college students have to take to even make it through undergrad.
“Students right now have more increasing demands,” Daniel said. “Demands may be economics, so not just one job but maybe multiple jobs.”
Many young adults feel pressure not only to succeed in their classes, but also to be able to afford them.
“Everybody, especially professors at school, expects school to be number one,” Daniel said. “Obviously, when you’re having to work at Olive Garden, that’s your focus. Everybody is sort of competing for demands.”
The influence of social media is another common cause of a panicked state of mind in college students. According to the National Library of Medicine, social media has become a mainstream mode of communication with its own standards and norms, and thus has changed how students engage with each other and the world.
Daniel acknowledged the effect social media has on college students: while it can provide some benefits, it can be detrimental without healthy habits.
“In my clinical work with adolescents, they are one step away from college,” Daniel said. “Navigating social pressures, online presence, all the different ways of communication — it can be pretty overwhelming.”
Even for students who manage a healthy balance between social media and the real world, it is often a struggle to differentiate between the digital and physical world, especially when modern culture focuses heavily on success and prominence.
“You not only have your personal wins, but they’re public now,” Daniel said. “It is layers of identity. You are on more of a stage. The main theme of finding identity, values and independence: those are made harder when you have all this influx of information from social media.”
With greater online presence comes greater potential for drama among peers, which is another issue that Lilley has identified as playing a role in affecting mental health.
“This generation is very emotional,” Lilley said. “They’re up, they’re down, up, down, and to me, you need to be emotionally grounded, where the highs aren’t so high, the lows aren’t so low. Let’s keep it steady.”
Lilley said Opinions seem to matter more than ever before among adolescents. Students are often afraid to be honest or vulnerable around others because of how they might be perceived.
Many other stressors such as finding a spouse, a job, affording a house and figuring out the basics of life, can all contribute to the mental health crisis.
Lilley also suggested that addressing the issue head-on with the help of proper mentorship can allow students to have dominance over their mental health.
Daniel advised finding multiple mentors that each tackle a unique facet of life. The abundance of support offers immense wisdom and reliability for students who feel uncertain about their various situations in life.
Going to organizations such as the university’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and seeking out other support facilities are other ways for students to break free from mental health issues.
“It is a world of support if you access them,” Daniel said.
As the world continues to navigate the mental health crisis, students at Liberty do not have to figure it out alone. Read more about the resources available to students in the article on p.2.
In case of a mental health emergency, contact the Liberty University Police Department emergency line (434) 592-3911 or contact 911. The suicide hotline is 988. The mental health resources available at Liberty University can also be contacted through The Champion SAFE app.
Warden is the editor-in-chief for The Liberty Champion.