Abstract
Rates of distress on post-secondary campuses are alarmingly high, calling for a shift towards learning environments that better address emerging adults’ holistic needs. This cross-sectional, mixed-method study examines the role that extracurricular activity participation can play in such approaches. Online survey data was collected from 302 undergraduate students (Mage = 21.3) to assess extracurricular activity participation prior to and during their university attendance, across quantitative indicators (i.e., type and number of activities). Students’ qualitative accounts of the influence of their extracurricular activity participation on their development and wellbeing was examined using thematic analysis. Results indicate that rates of extracurricular activity participation drop from prior to during university, despite extracurricular activity participation providing assets critical for students’ successful transitions to adulthood (e.g., identity and vocational exploration, social support and belonging, self-regulation to challenges and stress). This research advocates for an increase in the promotion and accessibility of activities in the context of devising holistic, socio-ecological approaches to post-secondary education.
Recommended Citation
Villemaire-Krajden, Rosanne and Barker, Erin
(2024)
"Curbing the Campus Mental Health Crisis: The Role of Extracurricular Activity Participation,"
Journal of Youth Development: Vol. 19:
Iss.
2, Article 2.
Available at:
https://open.clemson.edu/jyd/vol19/iss2/2
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Leadership Studies Commons
