CAPS study paves way for student-led stress relief

In an effort to approach student stress from a fresh angle, Counseling and Psychological Services is studying methods of having students — rather than professionals — help their peers.

Through a series of individual interviews, focus groups and surveys, CAPS is working to take on a “proactive approach to develop a program to reduce stress that students experience in their daily lives,” CAPS post-doctoral fellow and leader of the study Eran Magen said.

The study was first launched because “stress is a huge issue on campus and seems to be growing over time,” he said.

In the past, according to Associate Director of CAPS Meeta Kumar, efforts targeted sources of stress. However, she noted, such efforts proved difficult to implement.

Magen’s plan is to test a pilot program next semester before implementing a campus-wide program next fall.

While details of the program will be determined once the study ends in November, the plan, Kumar said, is to develop a peer counseling system in which students help other students — something she hopes “all students could utilize without needing to come to counseling.”

“We all have that capacity to influence others,” Kumar said.

College sophomore Mike Ierardi believes a student-run program would be effective, particularly because “older students who have had more experience in coping with stress of classes and extracurriculars could really help underclassmen who are struggling to balance everything.”

However, he added, students may be “cautious and weary” of going to students rather than professionals at first.

In the study, a preliminary survey was sent through various academic departments, student groups and other University liaisons in which participants are asked their gender, date of birth, affiliation with Penn, ethnic background and student group participation. Students are then selected to participate in individual interviews or focus groups.

The focus groups are intended to help researchers better understand possible answers to questions regarding sources of stress and where students go to find solutions. They also help “to learn a little bit more about questions we didn’t think of,” Magen said.

There are four focus group categories, including undergraduate students, graduate students, males and females. Twenty-three focus groups have already been conducted and eight more are anticipated to run before the end of the week.

After analyzing the results of the groups, researchers will assemble and release a survey to students on a larger scale than the interviews and focus groups.

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