61 60 Chapter Five: Supporting Students with Mental Health Difficulties Chapter Five: Supporting Students with Mental Health Difficulties Technology Impacts While our students enjoy easy access to the internet and numerous advanced tools which benefit their life and learning in many ways, there are potential issues and negative impacts that technology can have on the mental health of students. Significant time spent on the internet, gaming or social networking can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety and depression, social isolation and loneliness, as well as diminish self-esteem for some vulnerable students. It can also turn into internet addiction that impairs the students’ academic and daily functioning. Moreover, cyberbullying and cyberstalking have increased in recent years. Receiving mean and hurtful comments, or hearing rumors spread about them can generate a deep sense of helplessness, anxiety, or depression as well as a strong sense of anger or retaliation. Love Relationships and Sex-related Concerns Love and romance are obviously popular among university students. It is a normal developmental need for this stage of life, but students can be equally distressed by being involved in a relationship and not being so. For those who are not yet in a relationship, they may be caught up in doubts about their own attractiveness or social abilities, leading to problems of self-esteem, anxiety or depression. For those who are involved in a relationship, they may also be distressed by the huge and continuous efforts needed to work out the relationship and to manage the conflicts between individuals who get close enough. Besides, premarital sex, coerced sex, unplanned pregnancy and abortion are experiences that may arise from love relationships, and can be potentially hurtful and traumatic. Family Related Problems Family functioning can have profound impacts on the lives and healthy development of our students. Parental divorce or separation can hamper student development, including self-esteem, social life, career choices, graduation rates and dating preferences. Parental discord, abusive or neglectful parenting styles can be particularly damaging to the student’s emotional and personality development. In addition, family financial stability, health statuses of family members, and the students’ roles and duties in the family can all affect the students’ capacities to engage themselves in studies and related activities, and cause significant stress in their daily experiences. “It is a normal developmental need for this stage of life, but students can be equally distressed by being involved in a relationship and not being so.”
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