Mental Health at Community Colleges: Data and Practice

Mental Health on Campus: We all Play a Part!May 20, 2014 | Presented by Blake Wagner III

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The Healthy Minds Network

Building a collaborative, international network(1) produce knowledge (research)(2) distribute knowledge (dissemination)(3) use knowledge (practice)

Research-to-Practice Agenda

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Prior Research on Community College Student Mental Health

Little known about the mental health of community college students

Lack of mental health resources (Wood, 2012)

Top concerns of students (Gallagher, 2012):

Depression

Anxiety disorders

Stress

Wood, M. (2012). The State of Mental Health on College Campuses. Inquiry (Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges), 17(1), 5-15.

Gallagher, R.P. (2012). National Survey of Counseling Center Directors. Alexandria, VA: International Association of Counseling Services.

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Healthy Minds Study (HMS)

About HMS Began in 2005 Fielded at >100 four-year campuses >100,000 survey respondents to date

Main Measures Mental health (depression, anxiety, self-injury, suicidality,

positive mental health) Health behaviors (e.g., substance use, exercise, sleep) Attitudes and knowledge about services Service use Academic and social environment

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HMS at Community Colleges

Winter/spring 2014 Beginning of focus on community colleges (CCs) Funding from University of Michigan and NEOMED (Ohio) Today: data from 3 CCs in Ohio

Fall 2014 Consortium of ~20 CCs Funding: SingleStop USA, University of Wisconsin (Professor

Sara Goldrick-Rab), Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)

Modified survey to focus on low-income students Housing and food insecurity, use of public services

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About Today’s Data 2014 CC data

3 CCs in Ohio Invited sample=9,121 Survey completers=1,419 students Overall response rate=15.6%

Comparison data from 2013 four-year schools 16 schools Invited sample=59,162 Survey completers=17,563 students Overall response rate=29.7%

Adjusted for non-response bias

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Sample Characteristics

2013 Four-Year Institutions (N=17,563)

Age (18-22)

74.6%

Female 53.0%White 72.2%

2014 Community Colleges (N=1,419)

Age (18-22)

41.2%

Female 47.3%White 80.7%

Prevalence of Mental Health Problems

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

13.310.2 11

16.1

9.713.1

37

20.8

8.76

11.114.4

8.3

16.7

38.9

16.1

Community colleges Four-year colleges/universities

CC Student Perspectives [1] “I feel anxious a lot due to the pressure and amount of

school work…finding time to do the work and stay afloat financially is a burden!...I do sometimes feel so overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious, and sometimes sad…It becomes emotionally overwhelming at times and I lose motivation to do school work the next day and will procrastinate and take naps because I’m mentally drained”

“I am now at a level of depression that I have isolated myself from most people. If I could afford to stay home and not work I prefer to do it but financially I have to work since I am sole provider for my two kids…I rarely see family other than my kids and I have no friends.”

“Even though, most of the time I feel internally down, it doesn’t always seem that way, externally. I put on a brave face when I’m in public…but I must admit it gets pretty tough, makes me want to cry.”

CC Student Perspectives [2] “School can be very stressful on

students. Especially those (including myself) who have to work 45 hours a week, have a child at home, and still go to school 4 nights a week. Time management is very important.”

“This year our house was foreclosed on and we have been looking for a new place, this is a very emotional time, but I am not depressed, because I do believe the living arrangements will work out.”

CC Student Perspectives [3]

“I have a high sense of purpose, the problem is I have not got a clue of how to fulfill that purpose. My mental health issues revolve around my financial situation and lack of it. While receiving financial aide my stress levels where down and grades where up. Now with working a job I hate, making not even enough to survive, my stress in way up and my grades are way down, just adding stress on top of stress.”

“I am 36 years old and have spent, on and off, the last twenty years of my life in pursuit of a 2 year degree that will have virtually no benefit in today's saturated job market. I had a 12 year successful career that I loved, only to become medically/ physically unable to continue to perform daily tasks and had to leave the field. Because of my relentless pursuit of that now-ended career, I have approximately 2 friends within 1000+ miles and do not see or speak to them very often due to family/ class commitments. I also currently work in a dead-end position for a company that does not value their employees in any regard (benefit cuts in every possible way, constant layoffs, 5-7x increased workload with no salary increase for anyone in 6 years, poorly maintained building, etc.) As such, I have felt frustrated and fed up with pretty much all aspects of life aside from my family (loving wife and 3 yr old child) with very little outlet for release or clear direction towards the future. Therefore I have little to no sense of purpose at the moment.”

Therapy among Students with Apparent Need

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

31.7

42.7

31.527.2

39.1

31.2 28.934.837.7 39.7

31.127.3

45.5

32.8 3036.6

Community colleges Four-year colleges/universities

Medication among Students with Apparent Need

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

50.146.1

41.444.4 46.2

36.1 38.5

49

34.7 35.6

27 25.4

36.2

25.4 24.931

Community colleges Four-year colleges/universities

Any Treatment among Students with Apparent Need

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

56.660.4

51 49

60.2

46.1 47.6

59

50.9 53.5

43.938.5

55.7

42.5 40.4

48.5

Community colleges Four-year colleges/universities

Any Treatment among Students with Apparent Need (ages 18-22)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

40.4

52.7

42.9

33.1

52.948.3

37.4

50.550 51.1

42.838.1

52.6

41.6 38.9

46.9

Community colleges Four-year colleges/universities

CC Student Perspectives [4]

“This inspired me to seek information at my campus regarding mental health.”

“Mental health is a troubling subject for many more students than it appears. Addressing the problem correctly would require more than access to counseling, but the introduction of acceptance and understanding from the staff.”

Treatment Barriers among CC Students with Apparent Need

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

41.8

51.4

32.7 35.3

20.2 21.7 19.5

32.5

42.3

24.2

CC Campus Climate [1]

Strongly agree

Agree Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree Strongly disagree

0

20

40

60

10.615.6

40.3

27.3

6.33.713.2

33 37.7

12.4

At my school, I feel that the academic envi-ronment has a negative impact on students'

mental and emotional well-being.Any mental health problem No mental health problem

CC Campus Climate [2]

Strongly agree

Agree Neither agree nor disagree

Disagree Strongly disagree

0

20

40

60

4.8

18.5

51.5

16.58.87

24.4

56.9

101.7

At my school, I feel that the campus climate encourages free and open discussion about

mental and emotional health.Any mental health problem No mental health problem

Applying these Findings in Practice

Quantify problems, identify opportunities

Evaluate programs

Advocate for resources (and establish economic case)

Next Steps for HMN’S CC Research

Modified HMS survey at ~20 schools in fall 2014 Examine links between mental health and:

Food insecurity Housing insecurity Financial stress in general Use of supportive services and benefits Academic outcomes

Intervention research

inkblots & tinyshifts

• Current projects• Next steps• Ways your school can get involved!• Tomorrow’s webinar on social media use and mental

health: Wednesday, May 21, at 11:30am-12:30pm (ET)• RSVP: healthyminds@umich.edu

Contact Information

HMN Team: healthyminds@umich.eduWeb: healthymindsnetwork.org

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Mental Health at Community Colleges

Presented at Mental Health on Campus: We All Play a Part

Ohio Program for Campus Safety & Mental HealthColumbus State Community College

May 20, 2014

Kevin P. Kuntz, M.A.Ed., PCC-S, NCCCounselor/Assistant Professor

Ky Heinlein, Ph.D., LPCC-SCounselor/Assistant Professor

David Nardecchia, M.Ed., LPCCCounselor/Assistant Professor

Samantha J. Posey, M.A.Ed., PCC-SCounselor/Assistant Professor

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Facts & Statistics• The National Institute of Mental

Health estimates that one in five Americans 18 and older suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder in any given year.

• An estimated 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older – about 1 in 4 adults - live with a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year.

• Nearly ¾ of people with anxiety disorders will have their first episode by age 21.

• Young adults aged 18-24 have the highest prevalence of diagnosable forms of mental illness among the entire population, at 27%.

• Compared to older adults, the 18-24 yr old age group shows the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors.

• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students, claiming the lives of 1,100 students each year.

www.activeminds.org26

Facts & Statistics Continued• The American College Counseling

Association Community College Task Force (2011) conducted a survey of community /2-year college counseling services and these are a few of their findings:

• 71% report having a Threat Assessment Team on site

• 43% do not offer any suicide prevention• 60% describe an increase in the intensity/severity of

clinical issues, relative to past years27

Call to Counselors• Help! Students are not doing their work!

They are not focused!

• Along comes the increased need for instructional faculty education regarding mental health issues. The students’ behavior is disguised as “disruptive behavior”, while in reality there is a life cycle transition occurring and quite possibly a mental health concern occurring.

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WHO Do We See at Community College

• First generation college student • First time college students • High-at-risk students

• LGBTQ• Students with pre-existing mental health

disorders• Students with emerging chronic mental health

disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar...)• International students• Returning veterans• Low socioeconomic income 2

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WHAT Do We See?• Stress • Anxiety • Depression • Emerging chronic mental health

disorders • Grief and loss• Relationship problems • Academic problems (ACCA, 2011)3

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Cuyahoga Community Counseling Faculty

are doing multi-level outreach to increase

Mental Health Awareness.31

Student Outreach• Provide education and support through:

• Mental Health Awareness workshops and classes• Depression Screenings• Mental Health Awareness Week• availability of Mental Health educational brochures • Active Minds

• Connect with NAMI and other supports

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College/Community OutreachFeature National speaker to present about

suicide prevention Provide Mental Health and Suicide

Awareness trainings to:

• Full Time Instructional Faculty

• Adjunct Instructional Faculty

• College AdministratorsWork together to provide support to

identified students 33

Professional Engagement• Conduct research

• Serve as member/ officer to professional organization

• Present at professional conferences

• Local

• State

• National 34

Challenges (Anderson, 2013)• Limited time on campus

• Self-doubt or uncertainty

• Part-time student

• Limited supports

• Low income

• Limited transportation • Instructional faculty who do not find attending to mental health needs

important

• Work full time • Mental health stigma

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Resources• Edwards, J. (2011). American College Counseling Association: Community

College Task Force. Survey of community /2 year college counseling services.Supervised by Amy Lenhart.

• Michelle Dykes-Anderson (2013)The Case for Comprehensive Centers at Community Colleges, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 37:10, 742-749, DOI:10.1080/106689210037235

• Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - http://www.samhsa.gov/ • The Jed Foundation - http://www.jedfoundation.org/• Suicide Prevention Resource Center - http://www.sprc.org/• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - http://www.afsp.org• American Association of Suicidology - http://www.suicidology.org • The Trevor Project - http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ • Active Minds - http://www.activeminds.org/ • National Alliance on Mental Illness - http://www.nami.org/ • Give an Hour - http://www.giveanhour.org/

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Questions?Kevin P. Kuntz, M.A.Ed., PCC-S, NCCCounselor/Assistant ProfessorKevin.Kuntz@tri-c.edu

Ky Heinlen, PhD, LPCC-SCounselor/Assistant ProfessorKathleen.Heinllen@tri-c.edu

David Nardecchia, M.Ed., LPCCCounselor/Assistant ProfessorDavid.Nardecchia@tri-c.edu

Samantha J. Posey, M.Ed., PCC-SCounselor/Assistant ProfessorSamantha.Posey@tri-c.edu 3

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