Sometimes, they aren't. For example, the authors found that 46 percent of undergraduates are worried about becoming victims of crime. Instead, she told us the college had recently introduced emergency phones, stronger outdoor lighting, and nighttime escort services. For her, cause and prevention were the same thing. Both fueled her fears.
Students have more concrete reasons for being emotionally insecure.
Thirty percent of them grew up with one or neither parent. The bottom line is that students are coming to college overwhelmed and more damaged than those of previous years. Classroom disruptions have increased at 44 percent of the colleges surveyed. Drug abuse has increased 42 percent. Alcohol abuse is up 35 percent.