UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Recent data indicates that certain mental health issues are on the rise on college campuses and minoritized students tend to struggle more, according to a new book by a Penn State College of Education professor. The book is intended to help readers understand college mental health issues so that they can more effectively work with students and those who support them.
“The book is really infused with findings pertaining to culture,” said Jeffrey Hayes, professor of education (counselor education) and author of “College Student Mental Health and Wellness: Coping on Campus.”
“What can colleges and universities do to enhance students’ well-being if we know they’re struggling and how might the college environment be contributing to those struggles?” Hayes asked.
According to Hayes, the book “will speak to anyone who wants a comprehensive college mental health resource at their disposal.” Data suggest there is a strong need to address college student mental health, he added. From 2009 to 2014, institutional enrollment in higher education grew by 6% nationally and the number of students seeking counseling on campuses grew by 29%.
“There’s this huge imbalance between demand for services and supply at university counseling centers,” he said. “Studies indicate that the longer students have to wait between counseling sessions, the less effective counseling becomes.”
Hayes conducts research on psychotherapy, with an emphasis on therapist factors that affect treatment outcomes. He also researches college student mental health, particularly among culturally diverse students.
Since 2008, he has helped run the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) under Penn State Student Affairs. CCMH is a multidisciplinary, member-driven, practice-research network focused on providing accurate and up-to-date information on the mental health of today’s college students. The collaborative efforts of more than 800 college and university counseling centers and supportive organizations have enabled CCMH to build the nation’s largest database on college student mental health. Hayes largely drew from this database, which includes data from about 2 million college students across the U.S., to write his book.
Chapters in “College Student Mental Health and Wellness” cover theories of college student development and common psychological problems among college students — including anxiety, depression and substance abuse — and important aspects of college student well-being, such as identity, peer relationships and career preparedness.
In addition to his work with CCMH, an impetus for Hayes to write the book was his experiences teaching his signature course in the College of Education, “RHS 226: College Student Mental Health and Wellness.”
“I decided to write the book to accompany the class, so it really helped the students by summarizing the important points in articles I was having them read,” he said.
One of the main points that emerged from the data, Hayes said, is that “the sky is not falling” and issues need to be explored on a granular level. In the last decade, there has been a gradual decrease in student alcohol use/abuse although there has been dramatic rise in cannabis use, which could be related to changes in state laws.
On the other hand, Hayes said, suicidal ideation and social anxiety among college students have gotten worse. Students spend an enormous amount of time on social media, he added, and “clearly it’s a double-edged sword.”
“College students might have 843 electronic friends and yet have great difficulty having a conversation with someone across the table from them at lunch or dinner,” he said.
An interesting finding in his research, Hayes said, is that the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t universally negative for college students. His data analysis showed that during the pandemic, social anxiety went down as students faced no pressure to make new friends while living at home. Social anxiety levels have risen since students have come back to campus, he added.
Overall, Hayes said, minoritized students struggle more with mental health than students in the majority on virtually any dimension of culture, largely due to experiences of discrimination and difficulty fitting in on many college campuses. The book explores how intersecting identities contribute to mental health problems. For example, while women college students struggle more with eating disorders than men, when sexual orientation is taken into account, an interesting picture emerges, Hayes explained. Lesbian women have low rates of eating disorders and gay men have high rates, similar to those of heterosexual women.
“In other words, the common factor seems to be attraction to men,” Hayes said.
Although research has clearly established that counseling centers provide effective services for students seeking psychological help, Hayes said, the excessive demand for counseling center services suggests that other campus offices need to offer coordinated care. At Penn State, these offices include the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, the Gender Equity Center and Student Disability Resources.