Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2020
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that many young adults, especially US college students, experience high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and sexual violence. Many institutions of higher education rely on policies that often are reportedly biased towards materialistic pursuits, science and mathematics curriculums, and standardized testing which may promote students’ extrinsic motivation and individualistic behaviors. This review examines the potential benefits of compassion education to enhance the prosocial attitudes, mental health, and well-being among undergraduate college students. The two overarching goals of this paper are first, to highlight the current mental health challenges facing undergraduate college students and their causes, and second, to propose possible solutions to address these issues. Data from empirical studies on compassion are reviewed to examine the effectiveness of compassion education and training approaches in establishing a safer, healthier, happier, and more inclusive educational learning environment leading to enhanced prosocial behaviors and positive mental health.
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Tendhar, T., Bueno de Mesquita, P. (2020). Compassion Education for Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being Among College Students. J Ment Health Soc Behav 2(1):115. https://doi.org/10.33790/jmhsb1100115
Available at: https://doi.org/10.33790/jmhsb1100115
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.