Emma: Thank you all for joining this interview. Let’s start with mental health at DKU. For CAPS, how would you rate the mental health status of DKU students on average? And what are some common concerns in terms of mental health among students? 

Fan: Over the last two years, because of the pandemic, we have observed an increase in the severity of mental health symptoms among our clients, and we also have more clients in need of long-term treatment. This is not just the case at DKU, according to my colleagues in other local Chinese university counseling centers, we are all overloaded with cases.  

Yitong: In terms of mental health problems on campus, peer pressure is a very salient one. Apart from peer pressure, it is also common for students to struggle with academic stress, have lots of anxieties and fear around competition, and also depression. Additionally, there are mental struggles related to previous traumas that clients may have experienced before college, which begins to re-emerge as they start to live relatively independently during college.  

Amber: There is a lot of U.S.–based research supporting that anxiety is the leading mental health issue among university students now although many of us might think it should be depression. If peer pressure really gets to you, it also affects the way you’re able to socialize and create meaningful, supportive connections with your peers rather than simply competitive ones. When it starts to restrict your support system, it interferes with students’ psychological flexibility and ability to regulate by themselves. That’s when we start to see more students coming into the counseling center to seek additional support.  

Yitong: And also the number of students struggling with concerning eating behaviors is also increasing, as well as anxiety about body image, especially among our female students. But this is not just a DKU thing, it’s a worldwide concern. At least in top universities in the U.S., students from the higher social class tend to display more struggles with eating disorders.  

Fan: I do resonate with Yitong and Amber. I think our students are very competitive while DKU is located in a rural area. When you put many great students in a small community, there may be fierce competitions.  

Yitong: It’s also partly a result of the Chinese education system. You are only taught to study and study probably becomes the only value in your life. Then when you face academic stress and fail to achieve what you think you could do, it shakes your whole value system.  

Emma: Do you think the problem of peer pressure is more severe at DKU compared to other universities that you know of? If this is the case, what do you think are some characteristics of DKU contributing to this situation?  

Fan: I did my bachelor’s degree in mainland China and I would say the peer pressure at DKU is similar to the top universities in China. I also think due to the pandemic, students are actually aware that the chances of finding a good job is decreasing. So I think the anxiety is not just for DKU, but for all the university students. For students who choose DKU, I think they want to thrive and be successful. They’re here to make a difference which makes it more challenging for some of them. 

Amber: I think Fan also raised a really good point, mentioning that this is a well–equipped and competitive university located in a small town that is geographically quite isolated compared to other top universities in China. For example, there are usually lots of resources and social events outside of campus where students can have opportunities to get to know other people and create their meaningful networks within the new environment, finding their own space outside of the university, but it’s very difficult to have that in DKU. So I wouldn’t necessarily say that DKU is even more competitive than other good universities, but I would say that we do see some cracks in terms of potential support factors, and that might be why it is more challenging for our students here.  

Yitong: Additionally, DKU is such a small community. You know everyone so well and through social media you can know every update in their life, including where they work and how they perform in their academic life. Probably DKU is not more competitive, but it has many characteristics that make students much more stressed.  

Emma: Moving on to our next question, how is COVID-19 continuously imposing mental health burdens on members of the DKU community?   

Fan: I think quarantine is a very traumatic experience for our students, staff and faculty members who have travelled to China post pandemic. Also, the policies keep changing and it’s exhausting for students to experience all these transitions, such as studying on campus, then moving to studying online, then hybrid mode. For all of us within this institution, there are so many uncertainties, which increases our anxiety and stress level.  

Amber: International students are definitely struggling the most, because they’re directly impacted every day continuously and it’s been almost two years now. To be a student living without a campus is a concept that would have blown all of our minds before the pandemic. But that’s the reality now. Although our international students are being extremely strong and handling it the best that they can, it is hard when it’s the real everyday experience impacting students’ lives and we’re doing our best to try to support them.  

Emma: Witnessing the current situations, what are some strategies or resources that you would recommend to students who are experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety or any kind of psychological problems?  

Fan: Although it’s hard, we have to be really adaptive and lower our expectations. We expected our life to be so much different from what we are living now and every time we think about it, it’s just so disappointing. When you look into the future, there are so many uncertainties that brings anxiety. If I can only give one suggestion, that is no matter what you’re doing now, try to do your best and be more engaging and focused. This will help you to focus on the things you can control instead of being overwhelmed with the feelings of powerlessness. Also, explore the things that you are interested in and cultivate your self-compassion.  

Emma: Last but not the least, we really would like to highlight the Peer For You Project for its contributions in providing peer support during this special period of time. For Xuening, what was your motivation in joining this project at first and how’s your experience so far?  

Xuening: In my freshman year, I was really interested in psychology and psychological knowledge such as relationships, how to achieve effective and successful communication between people or how to deal with people’s emotions. When I learned that Peer For You as a newborn student organization is recruiting peer responders, I found myself very passionate to help the peers deal with emotions like loneliness, homesickness and academic stress. In this way, I can also reflect similar emotions on myself, which would be very helpful for both me and Peer For Your program. Then after interacting with CAPS and also the former president of the project, I want to further develop a relationship with Peer For You, so I decided to continue to accompany PFY and help it grow up. One thing that I really appreciate during my experience is CAPS constant support for Peer For You. The COVID situation is very frustrating for both international and domestic students and we need to adjust to the transformation from onsite to online, which is really hard for the newborn Peer For You project to continuously provide accessible resources to promote peers’ mental health. Under such circumstances, CAPS has always been a strong support for us with resources and training. I also really want to appreciate the peer responders who applied during the pandemic situation. Many students were busy dealing with their own anxiety or peer pressure themselves at the point (of the pandemic), but there were still a considerable number of peers who are willing to join us and provide support to those in need. All of these give me more confidence and motivation to bring Peer For You to a better stage along with the support of CAPS and our Peer Responders. 

Fan: We are also very proud of what Peer For You has achieved so far, and we also would like to thank everyone for their support and commitment. One thing I want to add in the end is that there is a concept called post-traumatic growth. When I talked with some of the students in my workshop, some of them were reflecting on the things they have learned or the strengths they have cultivated during pandemic. That is something they have never thought about before, for example, the time being with their families and what values are actually more important to them. The pandemic also brings us reflection and some of us obtained more appreciation of our life as well as the things that we have already had. That’s also what CAPS wants to help our students with – not just dealing with stress but also to see what progress they have made or what kind of strengths they have developed during pandemic. 

Emma: The concept of post-traumatic growth is very inspiring for me. We should also be proud of ourselves because we have managed to overcome this difficult time and view our lives positively. Thank you all for your answers!