The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy, celebration, and rest. Yet for many college students, it can become a period of heightened stress, anxiety, and emotional vulnerability. At The Steve Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on the mental health and emotional well-being of young people, we consistently see how this time of year can intensify challenges for students navigating academic pressure, family dynamics, and identity-related stressors.
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As a psychiatrist and as Senior Medical Director of The Steve Fund, I am deeply aware that the holiday season can amplify feelings of isolation and distress for students—especially those who already feel marginalized or unsupported. This is precisely why proactive, culturally responsive mental health support on college campuses is not optional—it is essential.
As campus security personnel, student affairs professionals, and administrators prepare for students’ departure and return from winter break, understanding the unique mental health challenges students face during this period is critical to creating a supportive campus community.
4 Hidden Stressors of the Holiday Period
Through its research, programming, and partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, The Steve Fund has identified several recurring stressors that disproportionately affect students during the holiday season. These challenges often converge at a moment when students are already emotionally exhausted and disconnected from campus-based support systems.
- Academic pressures: The weeks leading up to winter break are among the most academically intense of the year. Final examinations, project deadlines, and concerns about academic standing can weigh heavily on students—pressures that do not simply disappear once they leave campus. For many, anxiety about grades and future performance lingers throughout the break.
- Family and social dynamics: Returning home can be emotionally complex. Students may face family conflict, cultural or generational expectations, or environments that feel invalidating or unsafe—particularly for students whose identities, beliefs, or life paths differ from those of their families. The Steve Fund’s work has shown that students of color and first-generation students are especially likely to experience this tension.
- Financial strain: Holiday travel, gift-giving expectations, and lost wages during academic breaks can create significant financial stress. These burdens often fall hardest on students from low-income backgrounds or those who contribute financially to their families.
- Disrupted routines: The sudden loss of structure—regular schedules, peer connections, access to campus counseling, and trusted mentors—can destabilize students managing anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions.
Critical Warning Signs for Campus Personnel
Campus security officers, residence life staff, and student affairs professionals are often the first to notice changes in student behavior. Early identification and response can be lifesaving. Drawing from The Steve Fund’s mental health frameworks, campus personnel should be alert to the following signs:
- Persistent emotional changes: Ongoing sadness, hopelessness, irritability, or emotional withdrawal lasting two weeks or longer.
- Behavioral shifts: Changes in sleep, appetite, energy, or engagement; withdrawal from previously enjoyed activities.
- Physical manifestations of anxiety: Panic attacks, avoidance behaviors, or visible distress in familiar settings.
- Functional impairment: Difficulty completing daily tasks, repeated absences, or inability to meet basic responsibilities.
- Crisis indicators: Any mention of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or feeling like a burden to others requires immediate action.
When these signs appear, approach students with empathy and without judgment. Connect them promptly to campus counseling services or crisis support. Students in crisis can text STEVE to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line or call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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Building a Supportive Campus Community
The Steve Fund emphasizes that student mental health is a shared responsibility across the entire campus ecosystem. Institutions can take concrete steps to support students during and after the holiday break:
During the Break
- Maintain communication: Share mental health resources regularly through email, social media, and campus websites.
- Offer virtual support: Provide telehealth counseling, virtual drop-ins, or online support spaces for students off campus.
- Support students remaining on campus: Ensure continued services and community-building opportunities for students who cannot travel home.
Preparing for Student Return
- Re-entry programming: Offer transition-focused programming that acknowledges post-holiday stress.
- Staff training: Equip campus security, RAs, and student affairs staff with tools to recognize and respond to distress.
- Normalize mental health conversations: Use messaging that affirms students are not alone in struggling during this time.
The Role of Campus Security and Student Affairs in College Student Mental Health
Campus security and student affairs professionals are essential partners in fostering student well-being. Your presence, compassion, and awareness can make a profound difference. Here’s how you can help:
- Be observant and trust your instincts.
- Respond with empathy, not enforcement.
- Know your mental health referral pathways.
- Understand your role is to connect—not diagnose.
- Follow up when appropriate to reinforce care and trust.
Moving Forward Together
The holiday season will always carry emotional complexity for college students. But with informed, coordinated, and culturally responsive approaches—like those championed by The Steve Fund—campus communities can reduce risk and strengthen resilience.
Supporting student mental health requires more than crisis response. It requires sustained commitment, compassion, and systems that recognize students’ full lived experiences. By working together across departments and disciplines, colleges and universities can ensure students know they are supported, valued, and never alone—during the holidays and beyond.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, seek help immediately:
- Text STEVE to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
- Call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline)
- Contact your campus counseling center.
For additional tools, research, and guidance, visit The Steve Fund at stevefund.org.
Dr. Annelle Primm is Senior Medical Director for The Steve Fund.
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
