The effects of an academic support program on college students' perceptions of stress, anxiety and depression

This thesis examined the effects of an academic support program, the Time Management and Study Strategies (TM&SS) Consulting Program, at the Academic Resource Center of Tufts University, on students' self-reported levels of stress, anxiety, depression, academic competence, and perceived control of time. Using a multi-method approach, quantitative and qualitative data from thirty students who accessed services of the TM&SS program during the fall 2009 semester were analyzed across two points in time, for pre-existing levels of stress, anxiety and depression prior to their work with the TM&SS program, and again at the beginning of the spring 2010 semester. The changes in student levels of stress, anxiety and depression were compared to a non-Tufts group of college students, with the TM&SS students demonstrating more declines across severity ratings than the comparison group. Although correlations between students' perceived control of time, academic competence and levels of stress, anxiety and depression yielded no significant results, repeated measures ANOVAs examining the changes in the pre and post levels of stress, anxiety and depression showed significant declines for the group. Significant improvements in student-reported perceptions of academic competence were also identified. Qualitative data revealed students' reported changes in their levels of stress, anxiety and depression and the attributions of these changes were identified. Students reported psychological variables as being most salient in the factors for their change, and strongly identified developments in executive functioning skills through their work in the TM&SS program as being directly related to their personal changes.