Researchers at Kent State University are beginning the second year of their largest and most ambitious study ever to track 10,000 university students and follow them throughout their lifetimes.
The Student Life Study, which began in August 2023, recently celebrated recruiting its 1,000th participant. Researchers hope the study will generate data for decades to come that will help health professionals, university administrators, legislators and others who make educational policies and decisions.
The study illustrates Kent State’s top-tier research and nationally recognized student support.
Sign up to be part of the study.
Psychological Sciences Professors John Gunstad, Ph.D., and Karin Coifman, Ph.D., are co-directors of the study, which they hope will become an ingrained part of life at Kent State, where all students are excited to volunteer for the project and share their experiences.
"I hope the Student Life Study becomes a highlight of attending Kent State,” Gunstad said.
Coifman said the first year of the study was a great success.
“We have been making tremendous progress, which is great,” Coifman said. “We’ve learned a lot along the way, particularly how to think about getting students excited about the project, how to manage large numbers of students through the complicated research protocol, and how to get undergraduates to help.”
The goal of the study, Gunstad said, is threefold:
“Number one is where we have this giant research project to better understand what it’s like to be a modern-day college student,” he said.
Second, the study will offer wellness and health information to students, including smartphone-based interventions with the potential to improve mood and reduce stress in everyday life. The final goal is being able to share the data with universities across the country to make others better able to adapt to the needs of current-day college students, Gunstad explained.
While faculty from the Department of Psychological Sciences are leading the study, more than 30 researchers from across the university are taking part as investigators, and nearly 50 students are helping as part of the research team.
Results So Far
Going into the study last year, Gunstad said the research team hoped to understand more about the challenges facing modern college students, particularly considering the ongoing mental health crisis among college students and the large numbers of college students who are questioning their educational path.
“It’s a critical life stage and a missed opportunity,” he said.
Early findings bear out concerns about mental health issues among students.
“There is clear information that students are feeling stressed and oftentimes, feeling overwhelmed,” Gunstad said. “But there’s also a clear sense that they’re motivated to do something about it. And I think that’s an important part of the project, to be able to provide students with the knowledge and resources to be able to live happier, healthier lives.”
The data, though, also highlights other useful and interesting information, Coifman noted.
“We’re learning about their habits, how they’re sleeping, how they’re eating. We are learning a bit about how they use healthcare on campus, and how connected they are to other students on campus,” she said.
Sleep data may prove critically important for helpful interventions, Coifman said, as studies have shown a disruptive sleep pattern can lead to other risky behaviors, such as substance abuse.
“We don’t typically think that if you can get the kids to sleep better, maybe they’ll drink less, but the truth is the science would support that,” she said.
While the research is offering data, the culture around the project is also producing interesting anecdotal information, including learning what students love about Kent State and what they find challenging.
In addition, many students – both graduate and undergraduate – from a wide variety of majors have signed on as researchers, out of a desire to contribute to the betterment of other college students.
“They’re really invested in helping and we get more requests all the time, which is kind of wonderful,” Coifman said.
Ongoing Recruitment
Since last year, the Student Life Study team has recruited students at campus events and by advertising across the Kent Campus through posters, fliers and table tents in the Kent Student Center and other high-traffic areas, such as the Design Innovation Hub. The team has partnered with the Kent State of Well-Being and student-focused offices at the university to speak directly to student groups and classes to explain the study and sign up more students.
This year, they hope to extend their recruitment to students at the regional campuses.
To support the study, Coifman and Gunstad have applied for nearly $16 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Ohio, private foundations and industry partners.
The project also has earned Kent State membership in the Coalition for Transformational Education and a partnership with the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR) project.
Because no one else in the country is conducting this type of broad research at the college level, Gunstad sees the Student Life Study as a way for Kent State to make a mark in this area.
“Hopefully this is something Kent State will become known for,” he said.
The study has two laboratories on the second floor of the Design Innovation Hub on the Kent Campus.
Learn more about the Student Life Study or register to participate.