In The Spotlight

CCARE Special Research Group
  • 5.0 (10)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

This is In The Spotlight where we shine the light on college students, our lived experiences, and the research to help us thrive. This is a podcast made for college students by college students. We’re coming to you from the Clemson University Honors college as a part of CCARE, a special research group in the Creative Inquiry program. Podcast Founders: Terryn Witherspoon, Aaron Woolfolk, Ashley Larkins, Jason Teets. Current members can be found in the episode description.

  1. 12/12/2025

    Nutrition and Staying Healthy

    Today we put nutrition and staying healthy in the spotlight! In this episode, we combined our personal experiences with research on nutrition. We discuss common barriers, resources, and how to build a healthier routine overall. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Owen Eastman, Kaelyn Gannon, Maddie Kelly, Sarah Pacer, and Morgan Sapp. The research articles from this episode are listed below: Bhurosy, T., DiGiorgio, M., Thiagarajah, K., & Chung, T. (2025). College students’ perspectives on what they need from a nutrition app: Implications for next-generation nutrition apps. . Journal of American College Health, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2025.2522723 McMullen, J., & Ickes, M. (2017, November 27). The influence of a campus-based culinary, Nutrition Education Program, “College chef,” on college students’ self-efficacy with cooking skills and nutrition behaviors. Building Healthy Academic Communities. https://bhacjournal.org/article/id/5008/ Wen, T.-H., Tchong, W.-L., & Ching, G. S. (2015). A study on the relationship between college students’ personality and their eating habits. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 5(2), 146–149. https://doi.org/10.7763/ijiet.2015.v5.492 Werner, E., & Betz, H. H. (2020). Knowledge of physical activity and nutrition recommendations in college students. Journal of American College Health, 70(2), 340–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1750412 Winpenny EM;van Sluijs EMF;White M;Klepp KI;Wold B;Lien N; (n.d.). Changes in diet through adolescence and early adulthood: Longitudinal trajectories and association with Key Life Transitions. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30200990/ Yahia, N., Brown, C. A., Rapley, M., & Chung, M. (2016). Level of nutrition knowledge and its association with fat consumption among college students. BMC Public Health, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3728-z

    42 min

  2. 04/28/2025

    Connecting with Others

    Today we put fostering and maintaining connections in the spotlight! In this episode we discuss the role social connections for college students. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Christian Ihekweazu, Owen Eastman, Deena Warid, Mohamed Ismail, and Kaelyn Gannon. The research articles from this episode are listed below:    Abdul-Rahaman, N., Terentev, E., & Arkorful, V. E. (2023). The tertiary experience: Of social integration, retention and persistence–a review. Public Organization Review, 23(1), 133-147.    Avcı, M. (2023). Belongingness, social connectedness, and life satisfaction in college students after COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Happiness and Health, 3(2), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.47602/johah.v3i2.43    Chittum, J. R., Enke, K. A. E., & Finley, A. P. (2022). The effects of community-based and civic engagement in higher education. American Association of Colleges and Universities    Credé, M., & Niehorster, S. (2012). Adjustment to college as measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: A quantitative review of its structure and relationships with correlates and consequences. Educational Psychology Review, 24, 133–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9184-5    Farrell, L. C., Jorgenson, D., Fudge, J., & Pritchard, A. (2018). College Connectedness: The Student Perspective. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18(1), 75–95. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v18i1.22371    Foster, G. (2005). Making friends: A nonexperimental analysis of Social Pair Formation. Human Relations, 58(11), 1443–1465. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705061313    Gillen-O’Neel, C. (2021). Sense of belonging and student engagement: A daily study of first-and continuing-generation college students. Research in higher education, 62(1), 45-71.    Hall, J. A. (2019). How many hours does it take to make a friend?. Journal of social and personal relationships, 36(4), 1278-1296.    Klaiber, P., Whillans, A. V., & Chen, F. S. (2018). Long‐term health implications of students’ friendship formation during the transition to university. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 10(2), 290-308.    Lee, J. Y. (2016). An exploration of factors influencing college students’ academic and social adjustment. The International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology, 4(4), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.17703/ijact.2016.4.4.13    Steers, M. L. N., Neighbors, C., Wickham, R. E., Petit, W. E., Kerr, B., & Moreno, M. A. (2019). My friends, I’m# SOTALLYTOBER: A longitudinal examination of college students’ drinking, friends’ approval of drinking, and Facebook alcohol-related posts. Digital health, 5, 2055207619845449.    Wang, H., Chua, V., & Stefanone, M. A. (2015). Social ties, communication channels, and personal well-being. American Behavioral Scientist, 59(9), 1189–1202. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764215580590

    1h 8m

  3. 03/24/2025

    Sleep

    Today we put sleep in the spotlight! In this episode we discuss the role of sleep habits for college students. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Christian Ihekweazu, Owen Eastman, Deena Warid, Mohamed Ismail, and Kaelyn Gannon. The research articles from this episode are listed below:    AlSharif, S. M., Al-Qathmi, M. S., Baabdullah, W. M., Alhrkan, T. A., Fayoumi, Y. A., Alhejaili, F. F., & Wali, S. O. (2018). The effect of caffeinated beverages on sleep quality in college students. Saudi Journal of Internal Medicine, 8(1), 43-48.    Dinis, J., & Bragança, M. (2018). Quality of sleep and depression in college students: A systematic review. Sleep Science, 11(04), 290–301. https://doi.org/10.5935/1984-0063.20180045    Eliasson, A. H., Lettieri, C. J., & Eliasson, A. H. (2010). Early to bed, early to rise! Sleep habits and academic performance in college students. Sleep and Breathing, 14, 71-75.    Hagedorn et al. (2021). College student sleep quality and mental and physical health are associated with food insecurity in a multi-campus study. Public Health Nutrition, 24(13), 4305–4312. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980021001191    Hatcher, A., Sutton, T. G., & Judah, M. R. (2021). The indirect effect of worry on daytime sleepiness among college students. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 26(3), 330–335. doi:10.24839/2325-7342.jn26.3.330"    Hershner, S., & O’Brien, L. M. (2018). The impact of a randomized sleep education intervention for college students. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 14(03), 337–347. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.6974    Ran Wu, Shi-Yang Zhong, Guang-Hai Wang, Meng-Yang Wu, Jin-Fang Xu, Hong Zhu, Lin-Lin Liu, Wen-Jun Su, Zhi-Yong Cao & Chun-Lei Jiang (2023) The Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation on Suicidal Ideation, Stress and Sleep Quality, Archives of Suicide Research, 27:2, 215-230    Vanderlind, W. M., Beevers, C. G., Sherman, S. M., Trujillo, L. T., McGeary, J. E., Matthews, M. D., Maddox, W. T., & Schnyer, D. M. (2014). Sleep and sadness: Exploring the relation among sleep, cognitive control, and depressive symptoms in young adults. Sleep Medicine, 15(1), 144–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2013.10.006    Wang, F., & Bíró, É. (2021). Determinants of sleep quality in college students: A literature review. EXPLORE, 17(2), 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2020.11.003

    1h 4m

  4. 01/17/2025

    Social Media and Boredom

    Today we put boredom and social media in the spotlight! In this episode we discuss the role of social media and boredom for college students. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Christian Ihekweazu, Owen Eastman, Deena Warid, Christina Saros, Mohamed Ismail, Kaelyn Gannon. The research articles from this episode are listed below: DeAndrea, D. C., Ellison, N. B., LaRose, R., Steinfield, C., & Fiore, A. (2012). Serious social media: On the use of social media for improving students’ adjustment to college. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.05.009  Flanigan, A. E., & Babchuk, W. A. (2015). Social media as academic quicksand: A phenomenological study of student experiences in and out of the classroom. Learning and Individual Differences, 44, 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2015.11.003    Steinfield, C., Ellison, N. B., & Lampe, C. (2008). Social Capital, self-esteem, and use of online social network sites: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29(6), 434–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.07.002   Stockdale, L. A., & Coyne, S. M. (2020). Bored and online: Reasons for using social media, problematic social networking site use, and behavioral outcomes across the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 79(1), 173–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.01.010  Sümer, C., & Büttner, O. B. (2022). I'll Do It - After One More Scroll: The Effects of Boredom Proneness, Self-Control, and Impulsivity on Online Procrastination. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 918306. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.918306  Wolniewicz, C. A., Rozgonjuk, D., & Elhai, J. D. (2019). Boredom proneness and fear of missing out mediate relations between depression and anxiety with problematic smartphone use. Umich.edu. https://doi.org/2578-1863  Yang, X.-J., Liu, Q.-Q., Lian, S.-L., & Zhou, Z.-K. (2020). Are bored minds more likely to be addicted? the relationship between boredom proneness and problematic mobile phone use. Addictive Behaviors, 108, 106426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106426   Zhao, L. (2023). Social media multitasking and college students’ academic performance: A situation–organism–behavior–consequence perspective. Psychology in the Schools, 60(9), 3151–3168. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22912

    59 min

  5. 12/06/2024

    Time Management and Productivity

    Today we put productivity and time management in the spotlight! In this episode we discuss the role of productivity and time management for college students. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Christian Ihekweazu, Owen Eastman, Deena Warid, Christina Saros, Mohamed Ismail, Kaelyn Gannon. The research articles from this episode are listed below: Burke, A., & Stewart, S. (2022). Learning problem solving to manage school-life challenges: The impact on student success in college. Active Learning in Higher Education, 25(2), 169–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874221112879   Gusy, B., Lesener, T., & Wolter, C. (2021). Time pressure and health-related loss of productivity in university students: The mediating role of exhaustion. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.653440 Jennifer P. Agans, Steven Hanna, Elizabeth H. Weybright & Julie S. Son(2022) College students’ perceptions of healthy and unhealthy leisure: associations with leisure behaviour, Leisure Studies, 41:6, 787-801, DOI: 10.1080/02614367.2022.205 Kreider, C. M., Medina, S., & Slamka, M. R. (2019). Strategies for coping with time-related and productivity challenges of young people with learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Children, 6(2), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/children6020028 Lusher, L., Yasenov, V., & Luong, P. (2019c). Does schedule irregularity affect productivity? Evidence from random assignment into college classes. Labour Economics, 60, 115–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.06.004 Panek, E. (2013). Left to Their Own Devices: College Students’ “Guilty Pleasure” Media Use and Time Management. Communication Research, 41(4), 561–577. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650213499657 Razali, S. N., Rusiman, M. S., Gan, W. S., & Arbin, N. (2018). The impact of Time Management on students’ academic achievement. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 995, 012042. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/995/1/012042  Shirish, A., Chandra, S., & Srivastava, S. C. (2021). Switching to online learning during COVID-19: Theorizing the role of IT mindfulness and techno eustress for facilitating productivity and creativity in student learning. International Journal of Information Management, 61, 102394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102394  Terzi, E., Isik, U., Inan, B. C., Akyildiz, C., & Ustun, U. D. (2024). University students’ free time management and quality of life: The mediating role of leisure satisfaction. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01745-2   Upadhyaya, P., & Vrinda. (2021). Impact of technostress on academic productivity of university students. Education and Information Technologies, 26(2), 1647-1664.  Wiley, A.N. (2023). "The Grind Never Stops": Mental Health and Expectations of Productivity in the North American University. Anthropologica, 65(1), 1-24.

    56 min

  6. 04/26/2024

    Growing Up

    Today we put growing up in the spotlight!  We had a lot to talk about regarding transitional periods during college. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Darin Spitzer, Nathan Brown, Christian Ihekweazu, Deena Warid, and Owen Eastman. The research articles from this episode are listed below: Arnett, J. J., Žukauskienė, R., & Sugimura, K. (2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18-29 years: implications for mental health. The lancet. Psychiatry, 1(7), 569–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00080-7 Danovitch JH. Growing up with Google: How children's understanding and use of internet-based devices relates to cognitive development. Hum Behav & Emerg Tech. 2019; 1: 81–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.142 Furstenberg, F. F. (2015). Becoming adults: Challenges in the transition to adult roles. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(5S), S14. Furstenberg Jr, F. F., Kennedy, S., McLoyd, V. C., Rumbaut, R. G., & Settersten Jr, R. A. (2004). Growing up is harder to do. Contexts, 3(3), 33-41. Graf, A. C., Jacob, E., Twigg, D., & Nattabi, B. (2020). Contemporary nursing graduates' transition to practice: A critical review of transition models. Journal of clinical nursing, 29(15-16), 3097–3107. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15234 Geirdal, A. Ø., Nerdrum, P., & Bonsaksen, T. (2019). The transition from university to work: what happens to mental health? A longitudinal study. BMC psychology, 7, 1-10. Lowe, Katie, and Aryn M. Dotterer. “Parental involvement during the college transition: A review and suggestion for its conceptual definition.” Adolescent Research Review, vol. 3, no. 1, 25 May 2017, pp. 29–42, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-017-0058-z. Taylor, Z. E., Doane, L. D., & Eisenberg, N. (2014). Transitioning from high school to college: Relations of social support, ego-resiliency, and maladjustment during emerging adulthood. Emerging adulthood, 2(2), 105-115. Worsley, J. D., Harrison, P., & Corcoran, R. (2021). Bridging the gap: exploring the unique transition from home, school or college into university. Frontiers in public health, 9, 634285.

    1h 13m

  7. 04/22/2024

    Loneliness

    Today we put loneliness in the spotlight!  We had a lot to talk about regarding loneliness during college. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Darin Spitzer, Nathan Brown, Christian Ihekweazu, Deena Warid, and Owen Eastman. The research articles from this episode are listed below: Ausie, R. K., & Poerwandari, K. (2021). The role of loneliness and self-compassion as predictors of depressive symptoms in college students. Jurnal Psikologi, 20(2), 178–186. https://doi.org/10.14710/jp.20.2.178-186  Besse, R., Whitaker, W. K., & Brannon, L. A. (2022). Loneliness Among College Students: The Influence of Targeted Messages on Befriending. Psychological reports, 125(2), 1121–1144. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294121993067 Hysing, M., Petrie, K. J., Bøe, T., Lønning, K. J., & Sivertsen, B. (2020). Only the lonely: A study of loneliness among university students in Norway. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.32872/cpe.v2i1.2781  K. Bhagchandani, R. (2017). Effect of loneliness on the psychological well-being of college students. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 60–64. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijssh.2017.v7.796  Liu, H., Zhang, M., Yang, Q., & Yu, B. (2019). Gender differences in the influence of social isolation and loneliness on depressive symptoms in college students: A longitudinal study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55(2), 251–257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01726-6  Moeller, Robert W.; Seehuus, Martin. 73(2019). Loneliness as a mediator for college students' social skills and experiences of depression and anxiety. Journal of Adolescence.  Morrish, N., Choudhury, S., & Medina-Lara, A. (2023). What works in Interventions targeting loneliness: A systematic review of intervention characteristics. BMC Public Health, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17097-2   Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Barreto, M., Vines, J., Atkinson, M., Long, K., Bakewell, L., Lawson, S., & Wilson, M. (2019). Coping with loneliness at university: A qualitative interview study with students in the UK. Mental Health & Prevention, 13, 21–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2018.11.002  Zhou, X. (2018) A Review of Researches Workplace Loneliness. Psychology, 9, 1005-1022. doi: 10.4236/psych.2018.95064.

    44 min

  8. 12/08/2023

    Addiction

    Today we put addiction in the spotlight! In this episode we combined our personal experiences with research on addiction. We had a lot to talk about regarding different forms of addition prevalent in college students. Once you're finished listening to this episode, listen to our previous episodes for more engaging conversations on our lived experiences in college! Our podcast hosts in this episode are Darin Spitzer, Nathan Brown, Julia Eustace, Christian Ihekweazu, Deena Warid, and Owen Eastman. The research articles from this episode are listed below: Cashwell, C. S., Giordano, A. L., King, K., Lankford, C., & Henson, R. K. (2016). Emotion regulation and sex addiction among college students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9646-6  Dager, A. D., Anderson, B. M., Rosen, R., Khadka, S., Sawyer, B., Jiantonio‐Kelly, R. E., Austad, C. S., Raskin, S. A., Tennen, H., Wood, R. M., Fallahi, C. R., & Pearlson, G. D. (2014). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) response to alcohol pictures predicts subsequent transition to heavy drinking in college students. Addiction, 109(4), 585–595. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12437  Kim, C. H., Kang, K.-A., & Shin, S. (2022). Healthy lifestyle status related to alcohol and food addiction risk among college students: A logistic regression analysis. Journal of American College Health, 71(3), 775–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1908302 Kim, C. H., Kang, K.-A., & Shin, S. (2022). Healthy lifestyle status related to alcohol and food addiction risk among college students: A logistic regression analysis. Journal of American College Health, 71(3), 775–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1908302  Ling, J., & Zahry, N. R. (2021). Relationships among perceived stress, emotional eating, and dietary intake in college students: Eating self-regulation as a mediator. Appetite, 163, 105215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105215 Mok JY, Choi SW, Kim DJ, Choi JS, Lee J, Ahn H, Choi EJ, Song WY. Latent class analysis on internet and smartphone addiction in college students. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014 May 20;10:817-28. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S59293. PMID: 24899806; PMCID: PMC4038421. Obisesan, O., Uddin, S. M., Boakye, E., Osei, A., Mirbolouk, M., Orimoloye, O., Dzaye, O., El Shahawy, O., Stokes, A., DeFilippis, A., Benjamin, E., & Blaha, M. (2023). Pod-based e-cigarette use among US college-aged adults: Asurvey on the perception of health effects, sociodemographic correlates, and interplay with other tobacco products. Tobacco Induced Diseases, 21(March), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.18332/tid/159177

    40 min
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About

This is In The Spotlight where we shine the light on college students, our lived experiences, and the research to help us thrive. This is a podcast made for college students by college students. We’re coming to you from the Clemson University Honors college as a part of CCARE, a special research group in the Creative Inquiry program. Podcast Founders: Terryn Witherspoon, Aaron Woolfolk, Ashley Larkins, Jason Teets. Current members can be found in the episode description.

Information

  • Creator
    CCARE Special Research Group
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © CCARE Special Research Group
  • Show Website
    In The Spotlight