A new study from U.C.L.A. looked at more than 200,000 college kids and found that more students than ever before are rating their emotional health as “below average.” Experts say that mounting college debt and academic-performance anxiety are contributing to the low mental-health ratings. And plus, there’s that whole recession thing. “Paternal unemployment is at the highest level since we started measuring,” explained John Pryor of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at U.C.L.A.’s Higher Education Research Institute, which conducts the survey. “More students are taking out loans. And we’re seeing the impact of not being able to get a summer job, and the importance of financial aid in choosing which college they’re going to attend.” Generally, a higher percentage of college girls ranked their mental health lower than boys, and more girls than boys sought out counseling help. [NYT]
