In recent years, the physical and mental health issues of college students have become increasingly prominent, with a high detection rate of sub-health, resulting in the frequent emergence of internet buzzwords like “flimsy college students” and “college student fragile sharks.” To respond to the call of striving for a “healthy China” and to find solutions for the physical and mental adaptation of a generation from the perspective of the window to the soul, the research group on issues of physical and mental adaptation from the School of Social and Population Studies and the School of Social Work at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications focuses on the research of college students’ physical and mental adaptation in the era of digital intelligence, exploring the “hardcore way” from “flimsy” to “armor.”
Following professional guidance, conducting preliminary investigations
“Teacher, what do you think the psychological dilemmas faced by our college student group are today?” “Why has the ‘flimsy college student’ phenomenon emerged?” “In the digital intelligence era, how should children grow up healthily?” At this moment, in the teacher’s office of the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University, students were seeking advice from their teachers.
As questions were raised one after another, the reasons and directions stemming from the team’s investigation gradually became clearer. “The psychological sub-health problems among current college students are more pronounced than before. Factors such as interpersonal communication and academic expectations are significant elements causing psychological stress. With the development and popularization of information technology, the internet has gradually become an important factor affecting college students’ mental health,” informed Ji Tingting, a teacher from the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University, to the team members. Due to the abundance of fragmented information becoming readily accessible today, and considering that adolescents’ cognitive development is not yet fully developed, their ability to resist diverse trending information is inadequate. Under the influence of the internet, their self-awareness and psychological activities have changed accordingly. Zhang Jiqi, also a teacher from the School of Psychology at Nanjing Normal University, agreed with this viewpoint, stating, “The diversification of information on the internet makes it difficult for most people to concentrate on completing a task. The judgment ability of the student group is insufficient, leading to a prevailing tendency to follow the crowd. Prolonged screen time keeps the cerebral cortex in an excited state, resulting in insomnia among many college students who stay up late online, thereby affecting their normal study, life, and mental health.”
Rooted in regional differences, conducting in-depth data analysis
“This generation of students is the ‘native’ of the internet; it is impossible to eliminate the influence of the online world. We hope to use the positive aspects of the internet, such as social media, to help students better adapt to the era of digital intelligence,” said Wang Yuanni, a teacher from the School of Social and Population Studies and the School of Social Work at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications.
Stepping into all corners of the world, students split into several teams. As Hou Junting, a student majoring in Public Administration from the 2022 cohort, stated, “New learning pressures and new environmental adaptations indicate that issues with physical and mental adaptation are not isolated cases.” In order to investigate and understand the current mental health status of the college student group, main influencing factors, and other key information, the team members deeply explored the potential influencing factors behind fluctuations in mental health and proposed countermeasures in conjunction with real-world issues. They conducted research considering regional differences, stating, “Distributing questionnaires requires more patience than we imagined; we seek breakthroughs in conversations with individuals from different regions, schools, and educational stages.” Gao Yiman, a Public Administration student from the 2022 cohort, reflected on the research process and noted that ultimately, students gathered 3,000 questionnaires from six provinces in Central, Eastern, and Western China and conducted 101 in-depth interviews.
Diving into social practice, safeguarding the voices of youth
Grounded at the grassroots level, the common goal of the team members is to implement theoretical thinking and truly solve existing problems through their professional knowledge. After understanding the current mental health status and main influencing factors of the youth group, the team members formed the “Heart Channel Flowing Water, Postal Service Escort” volunteer team focused on mental health and, from July 29 to August 1, collaborated with the social work station in the Ding Shan Street of Jiangbei New District to carry out mental health volunteer activities, aiming to improve the mental health level of college students and other youth groups.
Through discussions with the street social worker, Teacher Yang, the team learnt that underlying emotional optimization management issues stem from parent-child relationships and internet usage. Hence, the team members adopted a professional approach, flexibly employing group guidance activities and group work methods, taking the initiative to become “intern social workers” at the social work station.
This mental health practice activity was divided into three sections—”Collecting Seashells from the Heart,” “Heartfelt Words,” and “Connecting Hearts.” In the “Collecting Seashells from the Heart” section, the team guided participants to recognize the existence of self-awareness and mental health through ice-breaking games, educational animations, and more.
