Mental Health at Community
Colleges: Data and Practice
Mental Health on Campus: We all Play a Part!
May 20, 2014 | Presented by Blake Wagner III
The Healthy Minds Network
Building a collaborative, international network
(1) produce knowledge (research)
(2) distribute knowledge (dissemination)
(3) use knowledge (practice)
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Research-to-Practice Agenda
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Prior Research on Community
College Student Mental Health
 Little known about the mental health of community college students
 Lack of mental health resources (Wood, 2012)
 Top concerns of students (Gallagher, 2012):
 Depression
 Anxiety disorders
 Stress
Wood, M. (2012). The State of Mental Health on College Campuses. Inquiry (Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges), 17(1), 5-15.
Gallagher, R.P. (2012). National Survey of Counseling Center Directors. Alexandria, VA: International Association of Counseling Services.
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Healthy Minds Study (HMS)
About HMS
 Began in 2005
 Fielded at >100 four-year campuses
 >100,000 survey respondents to date
Main Measures
 Mental health (depression, anxiety, self-injury, suicidality, positive
mental health)
 Health behaviors (e.g., substance use, exercise, sleep)
 Attitudes and knowledge about services
 Service use
 Academic and social environment
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HMS at Community Colleges
Winter/spring 2014
 Beginning of focus on community colleges (CCs)
 Funding from University of Michigan and NEOMED (Ohio)
 Today: data from 3 CCs in Ohio
Fall 2014
 Consortium of ~20 CCs
 Funding: SingleStop USA, University of Wisconsin (Professor Sara
Goldrick-Rab), Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT)
 Modified survey to focus on low-income students
 Housing and food insecurity, use of public services
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About Today’s Data
 2014 CC data
 3 CCs in Ohio
 Invited sample=9,121
 Survey completers=1,419 students
 Overall response rate=15.6%
 Comparison data from 2013 four-year schools
 16 schools
 Invited sample=59,162
 Survey completers=17,563 students
 Overall response rate=29.7%
 Adjusted for non-response bias
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Sample Characteristics
2014 Community
Colleges (N=1,419)
2013 Four-Year
Institutions (N=17,563)
Age (18-22)
41.2%
Age (18-22)
74.6%
Female
47.3%
Female
53.0%
White
80.7%
White
72.2%
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Prevalence of Mental Health
Problems
60
Community colleges
Four-year colleges/universities
50
40
37
38.9
30
20.8
20
13.3
10
0
16.7
16.1
8.7
Major Dep.
(PHQ-9)
11 11.1
10.2
14.4
9.7 8.3
6
Severe Anx.
(GAD-7)
Mod Anx.
(GAD-7)
Eating
Disorder
(SCOFF)
16.1
13.1
Suic. Ideation Self-Injury
(past yr.)
(past yr.)
Any MH
problem
Co-occurring
problems
CC Student Perspectives [1]

“I feel anxious a lot due to the pressure and amount of
school work…finding time to do the work and stay
afloat financially is a burden!...I do sometimes feel
so overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious, and sometimes
sad…It becomes emotionally overwhelming at times and
I lose motivation to do school work the next day and will
procrastinate and take naps because I’m mentally
drained”

“I am now at a level of depression that I have
isolated myself from most people. If I could afford
to stay home and not work I prefer to do it but financially
I have to work since I am sole provider for my two kids…I
rarely see family other than my kids and I have no
friends.”

“Even though, most of the time I feel internally down, it
doesn’t always seem that way, externally. I put on a
brave face when I’m in public…but I must admit it gets
pretty tough, makes me want to cry.”
CC Student Perspectives [2]
 “School can be very stressful on
students. Especially those (including
myself) who have to work 45 hours a
week, have a child at home, and
still go to school 4 nights a week.
Time management is very important.”
 “This year our house was foreclosed
on and we have been looking for a
new place, this is a very emotional
time, but I am not depressed, because I
do believe the living arrangements will
work out.”
CC Student Perspectives [3]

“I have a high sense of purpose, the problem is I have not got a clue of how to fulfill that
purpose. My mental health issues revolve around my financial situation and
lack of it. While receiving financial aide my stress levels where down and grades where
up. Now with working a job I hate, making not even enough to survive, my stress in way
up and my grades are way down, just adding stress on top of stress.”

“I am 36 years old and have spent, on and off, the last twenty years of my life in
pursuit of a 2 year degree that will have virtually no benefit in today's
saturated job market. I had a 12 year successful career that I loved, only to become
medically/ physically unable to continue to perform daily tasks and had to leave the field.
Because of my relentless pursuit of that now-ended career, I have approximately 2
friends within 1000+ miles and do not see or speak to them very often due to family/
class commitments. I also currently work in a dead-end position for a company that does
not value their employees in any regard (benefit cuts in every possible way, constant
layoffs, 5-7x increased workload with no salary increase for anyone in 6 years, poorly
maintained building, etc.) As such, I have felt frustrated and fed up with pretty much
all aspects of life aside from my family (loving wife and 3 yr old child) with very
little outlet for release or clear direction towards the future. Therefore I have little to no
sense of purpose at the moment.”
Therapy among Students with
Apparent Need
100
Community colleges
90
Four-year colleges/universities
80
70
60
50
40
37.7
42.7
45.5
39.7
31.7
39.1
31.5 31.1
30
27.227.3
31.232.8
28.9 30
34.836.6
20
10
0
Major Dep.
(PHQ-9)
Severe Anx.
(GAD-7)
Mod. Anx.
(GAD-7)
Eating
Disorder
(SCOFF)
Suic. Ideation Self-Injury
(past yr.)
(past yr.)
Any MH
problem
Co-occurring
problems
Medication among Students
with Apparent Need
100
Community colleges
90
Four-year colleges/universities
80
70
60
50
40
50.1
46.1
34.7
44.4
41.4
36.2
35.6
27
30
49
46.2
38.5
36.1
31
25.4
25.4
24.9
20
10
0
Major Dep.
(PHQ-9)
Severe Anx.
(GAD-7)
Mod. Anx.
(GAD-7)
Eating
Disorder
(SCOFF)
Suic. Ideation Self-Injury
(past yr.)
(past yr.)
Any MH
problem
Co-occurring
problems
Any Treatment among Students
with Apparent Need
100
Community colleges
90
Four-year colleges/universities
80
70
60
50
56.6
50.9
60.4
53.5
60.2
55.7
51
43.9
49
46.1
38.5
40
59
47.6
42.5
48.5
40.4
30
20
10
0
Major Dep.
(PHQ-9)
Severe Anx.
(GAD-7)
Mod. Anx.
(GAD-7)
Eating
Disorder
(SCOFF)
Suic. Ideation Self-Injury
(past yr.)
(past yr.)
Any MH
problem
Co-occurring
problems
Any Treatment among Students
with Apparent Need (ages 18-22)
100
Community colleges
90
Four-year colleges/universities
80
70
60
50
50
40
52.952.6
52.7 51.1
42.942.8
40.4
33.1
38.1
50.5
46.9
48.3
41.6
37.438.9
30
20
10
0
Major Dep.
(PHQ-9)
Severe Anx.
(GAD-7)
Mod. Anx.
(GAD-7)
Eating
Disorder
(SCOFF)
Suic. Ideation Self-Injury
(past yr.)
(past yr.)
Any MH
problem
Co-occurring
problems
CC Student Perspectives [4]
 “This inspired me to seek information at my
campus regarding mental health.”
 “Mental health is a troubling subject for
many more students than it appears.
Addressing the problem correctly would
require more than access to counseling, but
the introduction of acceptance and
understanding from the staff.”
Treatment Barriers among CC
Students with Apparent Need
60
50
40
51.4
42.3
41.8
32.7
35.3
32.5
30
20.2
20
21.7
19.5
24.2
10
0
Have not Prefer to Financial No time
had any deal on reasons
need
my own
Worry Question Problem Question Stress is Social
what
whether will get
how normal in support
others
tx is
better by serious
school
will think helpful
itself my needs
are
CC Campus Climate [1]
At my school, I feel that the academic environment
has a negative impact on students' mental and
emotional well-being.
Any mental health problem
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
No mental health problem
40.3
33
37.7
27.3
15.6 13.2
10.6
6.3
3.7
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
12.4
Strongly
disagree
CC Campus Climate [2]
At my school, I feel that the campus climate
encourages free and open discussion about mental
and emotional health.
Any mental health problem
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
51.5
18.5
4.8
No mental health problem
56.9
24.4
16.5
10
7
Strongly agree
8.8
1.7
Agree
Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly
disagree
Applying these Findings in
Practice
 Quantify problems, identify opportunities
 Evaluate programs
 Advocate for resources (and establish economic case)
Next Steps for HMN’S CC
Research
 Modified HMS survey at ~20 schools in fall 2014
 Examine links between mental health and:
 Food insecurity
 Housing insecurity
 Financial stress in general
 Use of supportive services and benefits
 Academic outcomes
 Intervention research
inkblots & tinyshifts
• Current projects
• Next steps
• Ways your school can get involved!
• Tomorrow’s webinar on social media use and mental health:
Wednesday, May 21, at 11:30am-12:30pm (ET)
• RSVP: healthyminds@umich.edu
Contact Information
HMN Team: healthyminds@umich.edu
Web: healthymindsnetwork.org
Mental Health at
Community Colleges
Presented at Mental Health on Campus: We All Play a Part
Ohio Program for Campus Safety & Mental Health
Columbus State Community College
May 20, 2014
Kevin P. Kuntz, M.A.Ed., PCC-S, NCC
Counselor/Assistant Professor
Ky Heinlein, Ph.D., LPCC-S
Counselor/Assistant Professor
David Nardecchia, M.Ed., LPCC
Counselor/Assistant Professor
Samantha J. Posey, M.A.Ed., PCC-S
Counselor/Assistant Professor
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Facts & Statistics
• The National Institute of Mental • Young adults aged 18-24 have
Health estimates that one in five
the highest prevalence of
Americans 18 and older suffer
diagnosable forms of mental
from a diagnosable mental
illness among the entire
health disorder in any given
population, at 27%.
year.
• An estimated 26 percent of
Americans ages 18 and older –
about 1 in 4 adults - live with a
diagnosable mental health
disorder in a given year.
• Nearly ¾ of people with anxiety
disorders will have their first
episode by age 21.
• Compared to older adults, the
18-24 yr old age group shows
the lowest rate of help-seeking
behaviors.
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause
of death among college
students, claiming the lives of
1,100 students each year.
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www.activeminds.org
Facts & Statistics Continued
• The American College Counseling
Association Community College Task
Force (2011) conducted a survey of
community /2-year college counseling
services and these are a few of their
findings:
• 71% report having a Threat Assessment Team on
site
• 43% do not offer any suicide prevention
• 60% describe an increase in the intensity/severity
of clinical issues, relative to past years
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Call to Counselors
• Help! Students are not doing their work!
They are not focused!
• Along comes the increased need for
instructional faculty education regarding
mental health issues. The students’
behavior is disguised as “disruptive
behavior”, while in reality there is a life
cycle transition occurring and quite
possibly a mental health concern occurring.
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WHO Do We See at
Community College
• First generation college student
• First time college students
• High-at-risk students
• LGBTQ
• Students with pre-existing mental health
disorders
• Students with emerging chronic mental health
disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar...)
• International students
• Returning veterans
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• Low socioeconomic income
WHAT Do We See?
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emerging chronic mental health
disorders
• Grief and loss
• Relationship problems
• Academic problems
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(ACCA, 2011)
Cuyahoga Community
Counseling Faculty
are doing multi-level
outreach to increase
Mental Health Awareness.
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Student Outreach
• Provide education and support through:
• Mental Health Awareness
workshops and classes
• Depression Screenings
• Mental Health Awareness Week
• availability of Mental Health
educational brochures
• Active Minds
• Connect with NAMI
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and other supports
College/Community Outreach
Feature National speaker to present about
suicide prevention
Provide Mental Health and Suicide
Awareness trainings to:
•
Full Time Instructional Faculty
•
Adjunct Instructional Faculty
• College Administrators
Work together to provide support to
identified students
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Professional Engagement
• Conduct research
• Serve as member/ officer to
professional organization
• Present at professional conferences
• Local
• State
• National
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Challenges
(Anderson, 2013)
•
Limited time on campus
•
Self-doubt or uncertainty
•
Part-time student
•
Limited supports
•
Low income
•
Limited transportation
•
Instructional faculty who do not find attending to mental health needs
important
•
Work full time
•
Mental health stigma
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Resources
•
Edwards, J. (2011). American College Counseling Association: Community
College Task Force. Survey of community /2 year college counseling
services.Supervised by Amy Lenhart.
•
Michelle Dykes-Anderson (2013)The Case for Comprehensive Centers at
Community Colleges, Community College Journal of Research and
Practice, 37:10, 742-749, DOI:10.1080/106689210037235
•
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration http://www.samhsa.gov/
The Jed Foundation - http://www.jedfoundation.org/
Suicide Prevention Resource Center - http://www.sprc.org/
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - http://www.afsp.org
American Association of Suicidology - http://www.suicidology.org
The Trevor Project - http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Active Minds - http://www.activeminds.org/
National Alliance on Mental Illness - http://www.nami.org/
Give an Hour - http://www.giveanhour.org/
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Questions?
Kevin P. Kuntz, M.A.Ed., PCC-S, NCC
Counselor/Assistant Professor
Kevin.Kuntz@tri-c.edu
Ky Heinlen, PhD, LPCC-S
Counselor/Assistant Professor
Kathleen.Heinllen@tri-c.edu
David Nardecchia, M.Ed., LPCC
Counselor/Assistant Professor
David.Nardecchia@tri-c.edu
Samantha J. Posey, M.Ed., PCC-S
Counselor/Assistant Professor
Samantha.Posey@tri-c.edu
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