Sarah Ketchen Lipson1, Adam Kern2, Daniel Eisenberg3, Alfiee M Breland-Noble4. 1. Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Health Law Policy and Management, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: sklipson@umich.edu. 2. Washington University in St. Louis, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, St. Louis, Missouri. 3. University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 4. Georgetown University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Washington, DC.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Understanding the mental health needs of students of color is a growing priority on college and university campuses nationwide. This study aims to capture the state of mental health among students of color, including the prevalence of mental health problems and treatment utilization. METHODS: The sample is comprised of 43,375 undergraduate and graduate students at 60 institutions that participated in the survey-based Healthy Minds Study from 2012 to 2015. These data include over 13,000 students of color; we look separately at African-American, Latinx, Asian/Asian American, and Arab/Arab American students. Data are analyzed at the individual level using bivariate and multivariate modeling to elucidate variations across race/ethnicity. We examine symptom prevalence (measured by validated screens such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression), help-seeking behaviors, and related factors (including knowledge and stigma). RESULTS: Across race/ethnicity, we find modest variation in symptom prevalence and larger variation in service utilization. Overall, treatment use is lower among students of color relative to white students, even when controlling for other variables in regression models. Asian/Asian American students have the lowest prevalence of treatment, at only 20% among those with apparent mental health conditions. Attitudes related to mental health treatment also vary significantly and help to explain the primary findings. CONCLUSIONS: College students of color represent a disparities population based on greater levels of unmet mental health needs relative to white students. This paper takes an important step toward understanding these needs and points to implications for future research and practice.
PURPOSE: Understanding the mental health needs of students of color is a growing priority on college and university campuses nationwide. This study aims to capture the state of mental health among students of color, including the prevalence of mental health problems and treatment utilization. METHODS: The sample is comprised of 43,375 undergraduate and graduate students at 60 institutions that participated in the survey-based Healthy Minds Study from 2012 to 2015. These data include over 13,000 students of color; we look separately at African-American, Latinx, Asian/Asian American, and Arab/Arab American students. Data are analyzed at the individual level using bivariate and multivariate modeling to elucidate variations across race/ethnicity. We examine symptom prevalence (measured by validated screens such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression), help-seeking behaviors, and related factors (including knowledge and stigma). RESULTS: Across race/ethnicity, we find modest variation in symptom prevalence and larger variation in service utilization. Overall, treatment use is lower among students of color relative to white students, even when controlling for other variables in regression models. Asian/Asian American students have the lowest prevalence of treatment, at only 20% among those with apparent mental health conditions. Attitudes related to mental health treatment also vary significantly and help to explain the primary findings. CONCLUSIONS: College students of color represent a disparities population based on greater levels of unmet mental health needs relative to white students. This paper takes an important step toward understanding these needs and points to implications for future research and practice.
Authors: Marcia R Morris; Nora I Feldpausch; Melissa G Inga Eshelman; Bettina U Bohle-Frankel Journal: Curr Psychiatry Rep Date: 2019-10-19 Impact factor: 5.285
Authors: Adam G Horwitz; Taylor McGuire; Danielle R Busby; Daniel Eisenberg; Kai Zheng; Jacqueline Pistorello; Ronald Albucher; William Coryell; Cheryl A King Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2020-04-18 Impact factor: 4.839
Authors: Joseph M Dzierzewski; Scott G Ravyts; Natalie D Dautovich; Elliottnell Perez; Dana Schreiber; Bruce D Rybarczyk Journal: J Clin Psychol Date: 2020-05-14
Authors: Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; C Barr Taylor; Michelle G Newman; Nur Hani Zainal; Elsa E Rojas-Ashe; Sarah Ketchen Lipson; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Peter Ceglarek; Naira Topooco; Nicholas C Jacobson; Andrea K Graham; Hyungjin Myra Kim; Daniel Eisenberg; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Contemp Clin Trials Date: 2021-02-11 Impact factor: 2.226