scholarly journals An Analysis of Campus Culture, Mental Health, and Drinking at Three Canadian Universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-113
Author(s):  
Laura Henderson ◽  
Kara Thompson ◽  
Amanda Hudson ◽  
Keith Dobson ◽  
Shu-Ping Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Campus Culture ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Campus Environment ◽  
Environment Factors ◽  
Environment Variables

Although many individual risk factors have been identified for student mental health problems and alcohol misuse, there is a relative paucity of research that examines how variables, such as campus environment, contribute to students’ experiences of these problems. This study examined a series of perceived campus environment factors (e.g., feeling valued, feeling they fit in, believing faculty care about them, perceived administrative concern for mental health and substance abuse) and the relationships among these perceived campus environment variables and students’ mental well-being, risk of harmful drinking, and their willingness to seek help for a substance use or mental health concern. A total of 1,885 first-year undergraduate university students including 938 females, 936 males and 11 “non-binary” participants, from three geographically diverse Canadian university sites, completed online surveys. The results demonstrated significant associations among the perceived campus environment variables and both mental health and alcohol misuse outcomes. It was also observed that whether a student lived in residence or off campus significantly affected which campus environment factors were most associated with their reported mental health and alcohol misuse. Additionally, willingness to help-seek was related with students’ perceptions of campus culture. These patterns globally demonstrated the importance of campus culture for student mental health and alcohol use. Strengths and limitations of the study, as well as directions for future research on the relations of campus culture to mental health, substance use, and help-seeking are discussed.

scholarly journals Student mental health and clinical education: exploring the DCE experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget R. Eubanks ◽  
Chad Cook ◽  
Katherine Myers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Experience ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Concern ◽  
Mental Health Challenges

Purpose: There is a potential link between the clinical education phase of a physical therapist’s education and increased incidence of student mental health challenges. The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) has a complex role in supporting students and clinical sites during clinical education experiences (CEEs.) The purposes of this study were to explore DCE’s experiences and perceptions with supporting students with mental health challenges during CEEs. Methods: Two-hundred-twenty DCEs from accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy programs were invited to participate in an electronic survey. Survey questions included demographics, institutional and curricular characteristics, and current perceptions/experiences with student mental health challenges. DCEs (n = 106; 48.2%) responded and were included in the analyses. Analyses included descriptive statistics, simple frequencies, and binary logistic regression. Incident coding processes analyzed responses of open-ended questions. Results: Seventy-four percent of respondents indicated awareness of a student(s) experiencing a mental health concern during a full-time clinical experience in the past 3 years. Regression analyses showed that length of terminal clinical experience, out-of-state placement, cohort size, and availability of online/video counseling were related to prevalence of DCE’s experience. Forty-six percent of DCEs indicated feeling prepared to deal with these issues, while 35% were ‘unsure’. DCEs indicated experience, training, and workload support as contributors to successfully supporting students. Conclusion: Results contribute to the emerging understanding of the prevalence of student mental health challenges in physical therapist education from the DCE’s perspective. Our findings suggest that institutional and curricular characteristics are potential contributors to the prevalence of this issue. We recommend training and institutional support for the DCE in these situations.

scholarly journals Therapaws: A partnership between students, staff, and therapy dogs on a university campus

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Johinke ◽  
Karen Walker ◽  
Freia Kirkaldy ◽  
Caitlyn Sinclair ◽  
Wing Lam Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Collaborative Writing ◽  
Campus Culture ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Novel Approaches

Partnering with students in action research and asking them how and why they would like to work with staff and other students to improve campus culture and student wellbeing is the cornerstone of this case study. Investment in student mental health and wellbeing is increasingly recognised as a priority in higher education, with novel approaches such as dog therapy programs being introduced in universities around the world. This case study highlights a project where staff and students partner to co-design, co-implement, and co-investigate a mental health and wellbeing program that combines dog therapy with students-as-partners principles. The student-led dog therapy program (Therapaws) provides a practical, evidence-based example of how the principles of SaP can be employed to create an effective intervention into student mental health and wellbeing. This multi-authored case study is also an example of a collaborative writing process—a true partnership.

scholarly journals Resilience, mood, and mental health outcomes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Psederska ◽  
Georgi Vasilev ◽  
Briana DeAngelis ◽  
Kiril Bozgunov ◽  
Dimitar Nedelchev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Face ◽  
Low Prevalence

Background: The fundamental challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic may have lasting negative effects on the quality of mental health worldwide. Resilience is considered an important protective factor in reducing the risk of psychopathology in the face of various adverse events, such as the ongoing health crisis. The aims of the current study were to: (1) evaluate the predictive utility of resilience in accounting for positive and negative moods, substance use, depression and anxiety; and (2) compare negative and positive moods experienced before the pandemic to emotions reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria, when the country still had low prevalence of infections and fatalities. Methods: 179 Bulgarian participants completed the international online Minnesota Global Survey on Stress and Resilience in the Face of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), which included measures of resilience, depression and anxiety, substance use, positive and negative moods experienced both before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Results: Resilience predicted higher levels of positive affect and lower anxiety, depression, and negative mood during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Bulgaria. A significant increase was found in negative mood and a corresponding decrease in positive mood in the time since COVID-19 began spreading compared to before the pandemic.Conclusions: Results suggest that the initial wave of the COVID-19 crisis impacted individuals’ well-being, even in countries with relatively low prevalence of COVID-19 and associated fatalities. In this challenging global setting, resilience may serve as a buffer against negative emotional states and psychological distress.

scholarly journals Understanding Campus Culture and Student Coping Strategies for Mental Health Issues in Five Canadian Colleges and Universities

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris Giamos ◽  
Alex Young Soo Lee ◽  
Amanda Suleiman ◽  
Heather Stuart ◽  
Shu-Ping Chen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Campus Culture ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Issues

This study aimed to better understand campus mental health culture and student mental health coping strategies, and to identify the mental health needs of students as well as gaps in mental health services within postsecondary education. A videovoice method was used to identify and document health-related issues and advocate for change. Forty-one interviews were conducted with campus stakeholders at five universities. Five themes involving mental health emerged from the campus interviews: the stigma of mental illness; campus culture related to mental health; mental health services available and barriers to mental health services on campus; accommodations for students’ mental health needs; and student mental health coping strategies. A documentary was developed to advocate for better mental health. We conclude that although Canadian campuses are raising awareness about mental health issues, there is not enough mental health infrastructure support on campuses; in particular, accessibility to campus mental health resources needs improvement.

scholarly journals Association Between Substance Use Behaviors, Developmental Assets and Mental Health: A Glance at Latin American Young College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denisse Manrique-Millones ◽  
Nora Wiium ◽  
Claudia Pineda-Marín ◽  
Manuel Fernández-Arata ◽  
Diego Alfonso-Murcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Developmental Assets ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being

Positive Youth Development (PYD) is an approach that promotes resilience and focuses on youth strengths rather than their weaknesses as done by the traditional deficit-based perspective. Research in Europe and North America show that developmental assets are associated with school success, psychological well-being, and lower health risks among youth and young adults. However, not much research has been done on these associations in Latin American contexts. The purpose of this research study is to assess the association between substance use behaviors, such as drunkenness and the use of illicit drugs, and mental health, together with the mediating role of developmental assets representing youth strengths (e.g., social competence) and contextual resources (e.g., social support at home or school). Cross-national data was collected from Colombian (n = 210; 70.4% females) and Peruvian (n = 349; 66.5% females) 1st year university students. Results shed light on the protective role of developmental assets regarding substance use behaviors and mental well-being. Specifically, the results showed direct negative associations between developmental assets and substance use behaviors and positive associations of developmental assets with mental health indicators. Internal assets appear to be a stronger predictor of social, emotional, and psychological well-being compared to external assets. We did not find any statistical significance in the association of substance use behavior and mental health. We discuss implications regarding research, policy, and practice.

scholarly journals Associations Between Multiple Leisure Activities, Mental Health and Substance Use Among Adolescents in Denmark: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziggi Ivan Santini ◽  
Charlotte Meilstrup ◽  
Carsten Hinrichsen ◽  
Line Nielsen ◽  
Ai Koyanagi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Activity Types

Background: Previous research has suggested that leisure activity may benefit mental health and protect against substance use among adolescents, but more research is needed to asses associations with a wide range of outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess associations between multiple leisure activities and (1) mental health outcomes and (2) substance use outcomes in a sample of Danish adolescents.Methods: Using data from the Danish part of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) collected in 2019, nation-wide cross-sectional data from 2,488 participants aged 15 or 16 in Denmark were analyzed to assess associations between number of leisure activity types and outcomes pertaining to mental health and substance use.Results: Our results show that engaging in multiple activity types at least once a week—as compared to one single type of activity—is associated with increased odds for high mental well-being, and reduced odds for mental health problems. Engaging in multiple activity types is also associated with reduced odds for overall substance use and for using substances as a coping method. Among those using substances, engaging in multiple activity types is associated with reduced odds of above average substance use.Conclusion: Increasing opportunities for adolescents to engage in leisure activities is suggested to be useful in enhancing mental health and preventing substance use and promoting mental health. Promoting and increasing access to leisure activities among adolescents could be a promising avenue for policy and practice.

Incorporating Hope and Positivity Into Educational Policy

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante D. Dixson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Educational Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Student Mental Health ◽  
Disciplinary Practices ◽  
Improved Outcomes ◽  
American Students

American students are underachieving relative to the nation’s investment in education. One explanation may be the lack of hope and positivity within America’s educational policies. These constructs predict student achievement and improved outcomes in several crisis areas that current educational policy has neglected (e.g., student mental health and school disciplinary practices). Moreover, educational policy can easily incorporate hope and positivity. First, schools can leverage several already-developed, effective, and scalable hope and positivity-based interventions. Second, educational policy can target hope and positivity-based constructs (e.g., student well-being) or incorporate their principles (e.g., focusing on student strengths) in education policy directed at solving problems. Given the evidence, policymakers should leverage hope and positivity in future educational policy.

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