Campuses that are aware and support student mental health and wellbeing can help increase academic performance, retention, and graduation rates.
More times than not, stress and anxiety are hardly considered serious matters. Yet, if ignored, they can lead to other serious matters such as depression and panic attacks, a condition that has the same symptoms of a heart attack.
The Healthy Minds Network in collaboration with the American College Health Association reported that students struggling with mental health issues are twice as likely to drop out. According to research, the post-pandemic ongoing mental health crisis is likely to affect student retention rates and lead to a decline in student engagement. Institutions can and should address this showing a true culture of care.
A 2022 Lumina/Gallup State of Higher Education report found that 71 percent of associate and bachelor’s degree students considering leaving college had indicated that stress was the reason behind their decision. This puts stress at an alarming rate within reason for dropping off, even higher than Covid and college costs. Such a rate is over 30 percentage point increase since the last report in 2020. Stress is the number one reason students cite when they are surveyed on reasons why they left college.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are a few ways in which mental health and wellness programs can boost wellbeing among students:
- Raising awareness and addressing stigma: Integrated peer-to-peer programs and student-led outreach programs can jumpstart conversations to better understand and support learners' needs. Through these programs students empathize with each other, value sharing similar experiences, and raise awareness concerning available mental health resources
- Creating and designing a culture of wellbeing: Higher ed institutions should hire more counselors to address the mental health crisis. Upstream solutions may include teaching programs focused on resiliency, stress management, and other behavioral changes. Student wellness centers at Wake Forest University and Ohio State University have developed models that ensure student wellbeing on multiple levels, including the emotional, physical, social, intellectual, and financial dimensions, according to the World Economic Forum.
- Digital mental health services: Technology solutions such as smartphone applications help students to reach out advisors in an accessible and easy manner. Through these applications, students are more likely to seek assistance.
- Personalization and belonging: According to research, students value online communities to cope with their mental health.
- Almost 30 percent of students surveyed said online communities create a sense of belonging to their institution, and 25 percent said online communities support their wellbeing. According to students responses, receiving personalized communication shows that their institutions cared about their success.
- Conduct continuous surveys and assessments: In addition, mental health support staff and faculty should be empowered with platforms to conduct regular online wellbeing checks such as simple quizzes. These can be emailed to students to help determine their stress levels.
- Measure success: Technology can help with tracking data and analytics. Data solutions can enable equity and measure the success of mental health programs on campuses.
Further, according to a report published by Deloitte Insights on college students’ mental health and wellbeing, it is paramount that mental health and emotional wellbeing initiatives are woven throughout the curriculum, rather than isolated to one sole course. The University of Texas at Austin brought on a curriculum specialist who guided professors on topics such as the importance of learning students’’ name and articulating both an academic and personal investment in their students. Deloitte cites students’ mental health as the top pressing issue facing university presidents due to Covid-19 in April 2021 representing 73 percent of college and university presidents’ survey responses.
Going forward, institutions should look beyond providing awareness education and advance to teaching students skills in empathy, kindness, and how to have conversations and share with their peers. These actions can help students to build resiliency and ultimately fight or avoid stress and anxiety.