Assessment Assignment Mayes 1

Assessment Assignment

Professor Brown

Health Promotion 490

Kaleb Mayes

March 8, 2024
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The Big Picture

College students increasingly report facing mental health challenges in recent years.

According to the American College Health Association, anxiety and depression are the most

common mental health challenges that college students face. In this assessment, we will examine

how social supports influence the mental health of college students. Understanding what is

effective in terms of interventions is crucial for making an impact and developing support

systems that adequately support the mental health and well-being of college students.

Healthy People 2030 Objectives:

● Increase the proportion of adults talk to friends or family about their health -

HC/HIT-04

● Increase the proportion of high school graduates in college the October after graduating

- SDOH-06

● Increase the proportion of schools with policies and practices that promote health and

safety ---- EH-D01

Quality of Life and Social Assessment

For this project I choose to focus on the University of Idaho here in Moscow. I choose

this location since I am a student on the campus and am able to gather in person data if needed.

The University of Idaho has an Enrollment of 11,303 students. 73.6 % are White 9.94 %

Hispanic or Latino, 4.05% Two or More Races, 1.97% Asian, 1.13% Black or African American,

1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.327% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders.
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(University of Idaho). In this same collection of data it is stated that the retention rate of students

is 75%. Which is 9% lower than other similar universities. See Table 1.

Table 1:

Students attending the University of Idaho are paying over $10,000, on average, for other

expenses not included in the main tuition and fees. These costs include room and board, books

and supplies. This is low compared to other institutions, yet can still be a major factor

determining students' mental health.

Epidemiological Assessment

Epidemiological studies on the mental health of college students have revealed

concerning trends in recent years. According to the American College Health Association

(ACHA) National College Health Assessment (NCHA) survey conducted in 2019, 60.9% of

college students reported experiencing overwhelming anxiety, and 39.1% felt so depressed that it

was difficult to function at some point in the previous year (ACHA, 2019). Suicide rates among

college students have increased dramatically over the last several years, with suicide now listed

as the main cause of death among college students (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2019).
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It is important to note that not all college students are equally at risk. Research suggests

that marginalized groups are at higher risk of experiencing mental health problems. This includes

racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and low-income students (Crisp et al., 2020).

Addressing these disparities requires targeted interventions that prioritize the needs of these

populations in terms of mental health and well-being.

Compared to state and national level data, college students typically face risk factors that

other demographics do not, such as academic pressures, financial strain, and transitional

challenges. While the data may vary by year, source, and sample selection, it typically shows

that the prevalence of mental health challenges like anxiety and depression are a lot higher in

college students than in the general population (Ibrahim et al., 2013).

Table 2: Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among College Students vs. National Averages

Mental Health Issue College Students (%) National Averages (%)

Reports experiencing
overwhelming depression in the 45.1 20
last 12 months.

Reports experiencing
overwhelming anxiety in the last 12 65.7 18
months.

Note: Data adapted from the American College Health Association (2019) and American
Psychological Association (2020).

Health Behavior Data

There are several behavioral aspects that impact mental health in college students.

Research shows that college students face significant stressors that can exacerbate mental health
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issues. These stressors include academic pressure, financial burden, and social challenges. These

challenges can lead students to seek solace in unhealthy ways. For example, substance abuse,

poor sleep habits, and social withdrawal, to name a few. According to a study conducted by

(Eisenberg et. al., 2013), college students commonly report having irregular sleep schedules,

unhealthy eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles. All of those things are linked to increased risks

of having poor mental health. Furthermore, alcohol use, which is extremely prevalent in college,

is linked to higher levels of stress and anxiety (White et al., 2020). Table 3 presents data on

behavior risk factors specific to college students' mental health.

Table 3: Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Data among College Students

Behavior/Lifestyle Factor Prevalence (%)

Poor Sleep Habits 65.2

Unhealthy Dietary Patterns 42.8

Sedentary Lifestyles 55.6

Substance Use 28.9

(Data source: American College Health Association, 2020)

The literature supports the importance of quality sleep, alcohol moderation, and physical

activity as means of promoting mental health and well-being among college students (Becker et

al., 2018). Of all the behavioral components, the literature suggests that getting quality sleep

might actually be the most important and changeable. A study conducted by Taylor et al. (2018)

titled "Sleep and Mental Health in Undergraduate Students with Generally Healthy Sleep Habits"

published in the Journal of American College Health, found that poor sleep quality and

insufficient sleep duration were strongly associated with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and
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depressive symptoms among college students. The study suggested that targeting interventions

towards sleep patterns had the potential to improve mental health outcomes for college students.

While behavior is certainly an individual contributor to mental health and well being,

social supports can help encourage healthy behaviors and increase resilience in college

populations. Numerous studies have found that increasing social support systems in college

settings helps mitigate the negative effects of stress and decreases the likelihood of students

turning to substances to cope (Hefner & Eisenberg, 2009; Peltzer & Pengpid, 2017). A study by

Hefner and Eisenberg (2009) found that students with higher levels of social support reported

lower levels of depressive symptoms and perceived stress.

Environmental Data

There are four main environmental factors that influence mental health. These factors

include: physical factors, social environment factors, policies and regulations, and the economic

environment. Out of those factors, social environment factors are the most crucial to change

regarding the mental health of college students. The social environment consists of aspects like

family relationships, peer networks, and community connections. A study conducted by

(Eisenberg et al., 2013) examined survey data from a large sample of college students to explore

the connection between perceived social support and mental health. They found a strong

correlation between higher levels of social support and better mental health outcomes. Students

who had a higher perceived social support system demonstrated lower rates of depression and

anxiety symptoms than their peers. That isn’t to say that the physical environment is not of

importance. Research suggests that physical environment factors do play a very important role

on mental health. Access to greenness has been linked to improved mental health outcomes in
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numerous studies. “We found evidence for a protective association between access to greenness

and levels of stress and this result supports the consistent evidence that greenness exposure is

protective against adverse mental health outcomes by a cross-sectional design” (Kim & Kim,

2017).

In order to better grasp the impact of the social environment on the mental health of

college students, we can utilize primary data collection methods such as surveys, interviews, and

observations. Surveys can gauge students' perceptions of the social support available to them,

interviews can provide more in-depth insights, and observations within college settings can

reveal patterns of social interaction and support networks. Each of these methods can offer

valuable insight to help target interventions to improve mental health outcomes.

Identifying the Program Purpose

To better understand the predisposing factors of college student mental health we first

need to know their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs towards mental health. Stigma largely

contributes to attitudes and beliefs about seeking help for mental health. Labels, stereotypes, and

discrimination often deter those that may want to seek assistance for their mental health. (Lui et.

al, 2022). According to (Lui et. al, 2022), nearly three quarters of all first-time mental health

issues are presented between the ages 18-24, or the common age of college students. This is a

barrier since many of these individuals are living on their own for the first time. This means they

can have little to no social network to assist them. Leading to another, self reliance or seeking to

deal with their issues independently (Lui et al. 2022). Another study conducted by (DeBate et. al,

2018) found that college males have lower motivation to seek care for mental health because of

stigmas and weak positive relationships between seeking help and receiving the proper care.
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To collect data on the predisposing factors related to mental health methods such

as surveys, focus groups and interviews could be utilized. Surveys allow for information to come

from more individuals, but leave out some of the necessary details that focus groups or

interviews can provide. On the other hand, focus groups and interviews would allow for a more

in depth look into personal knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. While not being able to retrieve the

amount of information that might be necessary to draw conclusions for the whole of those that

struggle with mental health issues.

Enabling Factors

Quality resources are needed to enable college students to obtain the help that they need.

This includes care providers, such as on and off campus counselors, that students are readily

made aware of (Lui et. al, 2022). Supportive services and initiatives on campus are also an

avenue that universities could follow to improve on campus mental health (Lui et. al, 2022). One

study reported on how peer support methods, such as apps or friend groups could be beneficial

(Cohen et. al, 2020). This same study also addresses that having clinicians educate students on

how to be peer support mentors could greatly improve the peer support on campus’.

Reinforcing Factors

Having clinicians train staff and students is an effective method to improve the quality of

social support on a college campus (Cohen et. al, 2020). This article states that through their

study they found that clinicians and students were not always aligned on opportunities and

resources available on campus. When clinicians would talk about the resources available on

campus, the students would respond saying “that’s great. I don’t know what half of those are.
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(Cohen et. al, 2020). Many students have heard or read about the resources available on their

campus, but not many are able to tell you who or where those resources are located. This needs

to be changed. Getting more individuals involved and creating spaces in frequented areas on

campus could greatly improve the ability for those with mental health issues to utilize them.

Validating needs and conclusion

The most important topics to address are the expansion of social networks, and educating

students on mental disorders, treatments or services and increasing access to long term care

(Bohon et. al, 2016). Campuses should increase the publicity of mental health services, have

specialized staff and student mentor training and work on dismantling the stigmas that surround

mental health. “Improved environments may bring more opportunities for physical activity,

increase social engagement, and improve mental health” (Kim & Kim, 2017).

Assessment Team

Successful mental health initiatives require the active involvement of partners who are

not only affected by the issue, but also have the capacity to influence it significantly. Identifying

those individuals is vital to effective intervention. In order to identify influential partners, it is

important to recognize the experiences, challenges and perspectives of those in the targeted

group. Those who understand the perspective of college students best are college students,

making them the most influential group. Additionally, parents, faculty members, university

administrators, mental health professionals, and community organizations are also good

candidates for being influential people. Studies show that building partnerships with parents can

enhance support systems for students transitioning to college life, which helps reduce the

prevalence of mental health issues in those students (Ginsburg et al., 2011). According to
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research conducted by Lipson et al. (2019), faculty awareness and understanding of mental

health issues significantly impact the way that students seek help. Additionally, university

policies significantly impact the availability and accessibility of mental health services for

students (Hefner & Eisenberg, 2009).

There are several barriers that could prevent these individuals from participating in

intervention efforts. These barriers for students might include stigma or lack of awareness about

available resources. Faculty and administrators might be constrained due to time, funding, or in

some cases, institutional policies. Mental health professionals are often faced with heavy

workloads and limited access to students in need. Overcoming these barriers would require

interventions such as destigmatization campaigns, policy changes, and advocacy for increased

mental health support on campuses (Eisenberg et al., 2013).

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References

2023 State of Mental Health in America Report. (Oct 2022).

https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2023-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-

Report.pdf

American College Health Association (ACHA). (2019). American College Health

Association-National College Health Assessment II: Reference Group Executive

Summary Fall 2019.

Becker, S. P., Jarrett, M. A., Luebbe, A. M., Garner, A. A., Burns, G. L., Kofler, M. J., &

Barkley, R. A. (2018). Sleep in a large, multi-university sample of college students:

sleep problem prevalence, sex differences, and mental health correlates. Sleep

Health, 4(2), 174-181.

Bohon, L. M., Cotter, K. A., Kravitz, R. L., Cello, P. C., & Fernandez y Garcia, E. (2016).

The theory of planned behavior as it predicts potential intention to seek mental health

services for depression among college students. Journal of American College Health,

64(8), 593–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2016.1207646

Center for Collegiate Mental Health. (2019). 2018 Annual Report. Pennsylvania State

University.

Cohen, K. A., Graham, A. K., & Lattie, E. G. (2020). Aligning students and counseling

centers on student mental health needs and treatment resources. Journal of American

College Health, 70(3), 724–732. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1762611

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Crisp, A. H., Griffiths, K., & Kingston, T. (2020). Higher Education and Mental Health. In

P. Byrne & A. Brugha (Eds.), Handbook of Mental Health (pp. 405-426). Routledge.

DeBate, R. D., Gatto, A., & Rafal, G. (2018). The effects of stigma on determinants of

mental health help-seeking behaviors among male college students: An application of

the information-motivation-behavioral skills model. American Journal of Men’s

Health, 12(5), 1286–1296. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318773656

Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., & Speer, N. (2013). Mental health in American colleges and

universities: variation across student subgroups and across campuses. The Journal of

nervous and mental disease

Ginsburg, G. S., Becker, K. D., Kingery, J. N., & Nichols, T. (2009). Prevention of anxiety

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Hefner, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2009). Social Support and Mental Health Among College

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https://doi.org/10.1108/09654280910970901
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Kim, J., & Kim, H. (2017). Demographic and environmental factors associated with mental

health: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Environmental Research and

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Lipson, S. K., Lattie, E. G., & Eisenberg, D. (2019). Increased rates of mental health

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