In year of pandemic, âbig pool of peer pressureâ means even more struggles for college students They feel dealing with new anxieties and stressors may actually be why so many young adults are gathering in big groups as a way to cope or because resisting peer pressure is hard enough without longing for things to get back to normal. (Source: Live 5) By Adam Mintzer and Patrick Phillips | April 9, 2021 at 6:21 PM EDT - Updated April 9 at 11:19 PM CLEMSON, S.C. (WCSC) - One in five college students has engaged in self-harm, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health before the pandemic began.