FirstYear College Student Mental Health

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First-Year College Student Mental Health

• By Anna Laven
• alaven_at_humnet.ucla.edu
• May 2-4, 2007
• UC Advising Conference

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Whats going on

• Nationally, more students with mental health
  problems
• The problems are more complex
• More students medicated
• Limited resources

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Why Freshmen?

• Least likely to use services
• Key time for student development
• Well-being connected with academic success and
  retention
• Freshmen identified as target group by UC Mental
  Health Taskforce

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Major Studies

• 2005 ACHA Findings
• 31.6 of students feel stress negatively impacts
  academic performance
• Counseling Center Directors Survey
• 91 of directors report increase in problems
• 9 of students medicated in 1994, 25 in 2005
• 59 concerned about growing demand without
  increased resources
• 29 UC students committed suicide, 2000-2005
• CIRP YFCY

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Gender Differences Students Frequently
Depressed
Women Doubled
Men Tripled
CIRP YFCY, 2000-01
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Freshmen Reporting Frequently Overwhelmed is
Growing
CIRP, for in the last year
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Change during first-year Self rating of above
average or highest 10

• Academic Ability

• Intellectual Self-Confidence

65 To 56
87 To 67
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My own findings

• Increasing influence
• Parents
• Spiritual/Religious leaders
• Importance of feeling connected
• Name recognition, but dont know what services
  actually offer
• Willing to access help for academic rather than
  mental health reasons
• Few adult interactions/mentors

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Advisors Role

• Students are willing to talk about problems in
  the context of academic issues
• Can help in reducing stigma educating the
  student community
• Help identify patterns of behavior
  (procrastination perfectionism) that can lead
  to more serious concerns
• Academic advisors are ideally positioned to help
  students to recognize a reasonable level of
  challenge, while emphasizing the need to address
  not only academic goals but the broad range of
  student development goals - Dr. Gong-Guy

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What does this mean for you?

• Willingness to ask about life
• Focus on self-care, life balance prevention
• List resources and what they offer
• Take a tour of resources
• Consider new SAO training
• Know the suicide protocol

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Small Group ExerciseCase Study Charlie

• Charlie is a freshman and comes in to ask about
  the Biology major. On his DPR you find
• Random class selection and a 2.64 gpa
• No other meetings with advisors
• Charlie mentions his parents want him to go to
  med school and he appears tired.
• What might be going on for Charlie?
• What do you ask?

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Charlie also mentions

• Lack of sleep.
• Trouble making friends.
• Parents live 10 minutes away.
• First in family to go to college.
• Works on papers the night before they are due.
• How does this information affect your previous
  assumptions/plan?
• What do you say to Charlie?

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Balancing Act

• Make referrals whenever possible.
• Be aware of FERPA and interaction with parents.
• Know your campus services and seasonal changes.

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Warning Signs

• Marked change in academic performance
• Personal hygiene/Physical signs
• Social withdrawal
• Strange behavior
• Exaggerated emotions
• Threatening statements

Taken from Dr. Gong-Guy, UCLA Today 4/24/07
article
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Share Out

• Do these findings resonate with your own
  observations?
• What possible changes can you make to your
  personal practice?
• What are some possible programmatic or
  infrastructure changes?

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References Resources

• Freshmen Pay, Mentally and Physically, as They
  Adjust to Life in College http//chronicle.com/we
  ekly/v48/i21/21a03501.htm
• UC Task Force reports on student mental health
  http//www.ucop.edu/pathways/ucnotes/nov06/health.
  html
• The Jed Foundation http//www.jedfoundation.org/
• American College Health Association
  http//www.acha.org/
• National Survey of Counseling Center Directors
  http//www.iacsinc.org/
• The American freshman thirty-five year trends,
  1966-2001. Astin, A. W., Osegura, L., Sax, L. J.,
  Korn, W. S. (2002).
• College of the overwhelmed the campus mental
  health crisis and what to do about it. Kadison,
  R., DiGeronimo, T. F. (2004).

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Thank You!

• Anna Laven
• Student Affairs Officer
• Philosophy Study of Religion UCLA
• alaven_at_humnet.ucla.edu
• 310-206-1356