Recently, the Center for Collegiate Health published its 2024 annual report. This report used data collected from more than 170,000 students at more than 200 colleges and universities who were already using the school’s mental health services.
Researchers already knew there would be some level of mental health issues that would be present by surveying those who had already reported previous need for mental health services. They knew in advance that the levels of depression and anxiety reported would be higher than those who weren’t attending counseling and also had reported a history of suicidal and/or self-injurious behaviors.
They found that those who started treatment with higher levels of self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts or behaviors ended treatment better—but not great.
Are we doing everything we can to help our children?
Students who are more familiar with mental health are more likely to seek help
A 2020 by Kosyluk et al. using data from 153 college students sought to examine what makes some students more likely to seek mental health care than others.
It turns out that previous familiarity with seeking mental health help before leaving for college is the greatest predictor of seeking mental health help during college.
Other variables include the level of personal judgment someone has about mental health, avoidance of labels of what it means to seek treatment, and previous stated intentions about perceived desire to seek treatment if a necessary situation arose.
What does this mean for your child?
To help your child them help themself, talk to them about the benefits of mental health care before they need mental health services.
Just because your child has good grades doesn’t mean that they are doing OK
A 2018 study by Bruffaerts et al. surveyed just under 5,000 Dutch students to determine how internal and external psychological symptoms might manifest in grade performance.
Internal psychological symptoms include excessive worry, sadness or hopelessness, isolation, physical complaints without medical cause, and negative self-talk.
External symptoms include substance use, angry outbursts, impulsivity, and acting out at home, school, or work.
The results indicated two patterns of behavior:
- Students with both internalizing and externalizing behavior—for example, hopelessness and impulsivity—have lower academic functioning.
- Students who only reported externalizing problems such as substance abuse or acting out behavior do well in some classes but not others
In other words, internalizing problems are associated with lower academic performance across all subjects, but externalizing problems are influenced by the so-called “temperature” of each department.
In a field where the average GPA is high and the majority of the students are academically focused, such as architecture or engineering, an externalizing student may still do well in school because his environment’s expectations are high.
What does this mean for your child?
If you have a high-achieving people-pleaser, don’t be quick to judge how they’re doing by their grades. The answer can be misleading.
Let them stay on their phone—it might help
A 2023 article by Li Sun examined mindfulness-based mobile apps and the impact of these tools on university students’ anxiety, loneliness, and well-being. It also sought to answer the question of whether these apps can be habit-forming. It appears that those who stay on their phone for longer lengths of time are more likely to report higher levels of anxiety and loneliness.
What does this mean for your child?
Being on your phone more when there is a mindfulness app sending messages such as reminding your child to stay grounded and take deep breaths can improve mental health. These can be text messages, such as journaling prompts for healthy emotional expressions, interesting psychology facts, and reminders to interrupt negative thought patterns or belief systems. A 2023 study by Kosyluk et al. examined 64 college students and their measures of stress, anxiety, and depression and how daily text messages sent through a digital platform called Cope Notes influenced participants.
They found that those with more severe symptoms showed a greater decrease in symptoms and increase in emotional intelligence at one-month post-intervention. Those with less severe symptoms also experienced an increase in problem-focused coping skills.
Conclusion
Mental health is crucial whether our children are within our sight or away from home. By having open and honest conversations no matter how old our “children” are, we best prepare them for not only life away from home but also for the rest of their lives.
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