37th Annual Student Research Conference
Academic Tasks at Risk Due to Anxiety and Depression
Taylor R. Combites*, Keegan J. Bird, and Aaron Villamayor
Dr. Jeffrey Vittengl, Faculty Mentor
Depression and anxiety are common among college students and impair academic functioning. We evaluated how students with anxiety/depression succeeded academically and how success strategies predicted current well-being. Undergraduates (N = 88) first described an academic task at risk due to anxiety/depression and how they succeeded, and then they completed measures of current anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Open-ended responses were coded reliably by researchers using a written manual. Most students (88%) were able to describe an academic task at risk due to anxiety/depression during the past year. Students utilized various strategies to succeed when anxious or depressed, but only one strategy predicted current well-being--students who received help from professors reported higher current anxiety. Future investigations should test whether academic success strategies influence broader well-being or whether non-academic issues (e.g., social relationships, finances) are dominant.
Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, Well-being, Success, Academic tasks, Academics, Undergraduates
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Session: 1-1
Location: SUB Activities Room
Time: 3:00