Helping Your College Student Re-Discover Hope

Publication Date

7-29-2023

Publication

Christian Post

Document Type

Article

Abstract

One weekend, when my kids were in middle and high school, they came to my wife, Susan, and me and asked for a “tech-free” weekend. Imagine that — kids asking for time away from screens and devices. Admittedly, this was harder for us as parents than the kids, though we treasured a weekend of connecting while playing board games and spending time outside. 

Our kids crave connection, and in some ways, our technology has increased opportunities for it, and it has also isolated us from more natural forms of it. Johann Hari’s influential work Lost Connections on depression, anxiety, college-age youth, and social media use has never been more relevant. Interestingly, college students are often cited as being some of the most impacted by feelings of loneliness and helplessness when it comes to finding real connections in an increasingly digital world. 

The latest news reflects what we already know: we are in the midst of mental health crisis among our nation's young adults. In a recent survey conducted by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation, an alarming 40% of undergraduate students have considered dropping out due to emotional stress and personal mental health issues. This number has spiked from the previous year's data, which reported 34%. 

And it's not just a matter of academic pressure — it's personal. The survey report found that young adults are disproportionately affected by anxiety and depression, with half of 18 to 24-year-olds reporting such issues in the year 2023. 

And then there’s COVID, which has exasperated feelings of isolation. Sian Beilock, a cognitive scientist and president of Barnard College, writes in a recent essay, “The Kids Aren’t All Right: But Hope Can Help”: 

“The events of the past few years have literally changed the brains of our young people, prematurely aging them in ways we used to primarily see in children suffering from violence or neglect.” 

She goes on to note the importance of cultivating a sense of hope in very tangible ways: 

“Overcoming the levels of despair we’re seeing will require helping young people build lasting resilience and connect to a deeper sense of purpose.” 

We witnessed that desire for a deeper sense of purpose recently with the weeks-long revival at Kentucky’s Asbury University (and other campuses) which saw students yearning for connection to something beyond themselves, yearning to find hope in the midst of a chaotic world. So, what can we as parents do to help our students rediscover hope?

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