Justin A Chen1, Courtney Stevens1, Sylvia H M Wong1, Cindy H Liu1. 1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Chen); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Chen, Liu); Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston (Liu); Department of Psychology, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon (Stevens); Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston (Wong).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The mental health challenges of college students are a critical public health concern, and they may be exacerbated among racial and ethnic minority groups. Unfortunately, there is a lack of recent large-scale research on this topic. This study provides an update on the mental health experiences of U.S. college students from minority backgrounds. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional data from the spring 2015 administration of the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA IIB). Survey results from 67,308 undergraduates at 108 colleges were analyzed. RESULTS: Past-year rates of self-reported psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses were high, regardless of race or ethnicity. Students from minority groups generally reported lower rates of both symptoms and diagnoses compared with whites, with notable exceptions. Despite reporting generally lower rates of psychiatric diagnoses compared with whites, students who identified as multiracial (N=7,473) or Asian/Pacific Islander (N=7,166) were more likely to endorse having felt hopeless, so depressed that it was difficult to function, or overwhelmed by anger and were more likely to have considered or attempted suicide. Compared with whites, blacks and Hispanics endorsed lower rates of psychiatric diagnoses but had similar rates of past-year suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Lower rates of formally diagnosed psychiatric illnesses may obscure significant mental health burden among minority students, especially with regard to suicidal thoughts and attempts among Asian/Pacific Islander and multiracial students. Students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds may have undetected psychiatric problems and, therefore, represent a particularly at-risk group on campus.
OBJECTIVE: The mental health challenges of college students are a critical public health concern, and they may be exacerbated among racial and ethnic minority groups. Unfortunately, there is a lack of recent large-scale research on this topic. This study provides an update on the mental health experiences of U.S. college students from minority backgrounds. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of cross-sectional data from the spring 2015 administration of the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA IIB). Survey results from 67,308 undergraduates at 108 colleges were analyzed. RESULTS: Past-year rates of self-reported psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses were high, regardless of race or ethnicity. Students from minority groups generally reported lower rates of both symptoms and diagnoses compared with whites, with notable exceptions. Despite reporting generally lower rates of psychiatric diagnoses compared with whites, students who identified as multiracial (N=7,473) or Asian/Pacific Islander (N=7,166) were more likely to endorse having felt hopeless, so depressed that it was difficult to function, or overwhelmed by anger and were more likely to have considered or attempted suicide. Compared with whites, blacks and Hispanics endorsed lower rates of psychiatric diagnoses but had similar rates of past-year suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Lower rates of formally diagnosed psychiatric illnesses may obscure significant mental health burden among minority students, especially with regard to suicidal thoughts and attempts among Asian/Pacific Islander and multiracial students. Students from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds may have undetected psychiatric problems and, therefore, represent a particularly at-risk group on campus.
Entities:
Keywords:
College mental health; Disparities; Ethnic groups; Psychiatric symptoms
Authors: Jennifer Abe-Kim; David T Takeuchi; Seunghye Hong; Nolan Zane; Stanley Sue; Michael S Spencer; Hoa Appel; Ethel Nicdao; Margarita Alegría Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2006-11-30 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Carol T Mowbray; Deborah Megivern; James M Mandiberg; Shari Strauss; Catherine H Stein; Kim Collins; Sandra Kopels; Caroline Curlin; Robin Lett Journal: Am J Orthopsychiatry Date: 2006-04
Authors: Henry Xiao; Dever M Carney; Soo Jeong Youn; Rebecca A Janis; Louis G Castonguay; Jeffrey A Hayes; Benjamin D Locke Journal: Psychol Serv Date: 2017-11
Authors: David R Williams; Hector M González; Harold Neighbors; Randolph Nesse; Jamie M Abelson; Julie Sweetman; James S Jackson Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 2007-03
Authors: Nahed O ElHassan; Richard W Hall; Billy R Thomas; Timothy W Palmer; Jeffrey R Kaiser; Chenghui Li Journal: J Racial Ethn Health Disparities Date: 2022-05-16