Depressive Symptomatology and College Persistence among African American College Students

Prevalence of university non-continuation and mental health conditions, and effect of mental health conditions on non-continuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

University non-continuation, also termed as university dropout in literature, is a concern for institutions. Elevated stress levels, mental distress, and psychiatric issues affect academic performance and thus may contribute to non-continuation. There is a lack of systematic reviews exploring the link between mental health and university non-continuation.

AIM

This systematic review aims to bridge this gap, by investigating the prevalence of non-continuation and mental health conditions among university students, and the impact of mental health on university non-continuation.

METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines this review synthesized data from 67 studies, utilising both narrative synthesis and meta-analytic techniques.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the included studies reported a range of university non-continuation rates (5.9% to 43.6%) with a pooled prevalence of 17.9%, 95% CI [14.2%, 22.3%]. The prevalence of mental health concerns among students varied widely (2.2% to 83.6%), with a pooled prevalence of 26.3%, 95% CI [16.0%, 40.0%]. Depression, OR = 1.143 (95% CI [1.086, 1.203] p<.001), stress, OR = 1.413 (95% CI [1.106, 1.805], p=.006), and other mental health conditions, OR = 1.266 (95% CI [1.133, 1.414], p<.001), were associated with higher non-continuation.

CONCLUSION

Some mental health conditions elevate non-continuation risks, and addressing mental health may enhance student retention in higher education.

Understanding the role of depressive symptoms in academic outcomes: A longitudinal study of college roommates

Rising rates of depression among adolescents raise many questions about the role of depressive symptoms in academic outcomes for college students and their roommates. In the current longitudinal study, we follow previously unacquainted roommate dyads over their first year in college (N = 245 dyads). We examine the role of depressive symptoms of incoming students and their roommates on their GPAs and class withdrawals (provided by university registrars) at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. We test contagion between the roommates on both academic outcomes and depressive symptoms over time. Finally, we examine the moderating role of relationship closeness. Whereas students' own initial levels of depressive symptoms predicted their own lower GPA and more course withdrawals, they did not directly predict the academic outcomes of their roommates. For roommates who form close relationships, there was evidence of contagion of both GPAs and depressive symptoms at the end of Fall and Spring semesters. Finally, a longitudinal path model showed that as depressive symptoms spread from the student to their roommate, the roommate's GPA decreased. The current work sheds light on a common college experience with implications for the role of interventions to increase the academic and mental health of college students.

Gendered racial microaggressions and black college women: A cross-sectional study of depression and psychological distress

Objective: We assessed the association between gendered racism, the simultaneous experience of sexism and racism, depression, and psychological distress in Black college women using an intersectional instrument, the gendered racial microaggression scale. Participants: Black college women enrolled at a predominantly white institution (PWI) in the southeastern U.S. (N = 164, response rate = 77%, mean age 21.67). Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey to explore the impact of stress appraisal and frequency of gendered racial microaggressions on depression and psychological distress using validated scales. Results: 30% reported depression and 54% reported severe psychological distress. Correlations indicate significant relationships between gendered racism, depression and psychological distress, with the strongest relation reported between the frequency of gendered racism to depression. Regression analyses suggest significant relationships between gendered racism, depression and psychological distress. Conclusion: Gendered racism has significant bearing on the mental health of Black college women attending a PWI. Implications for interventions are discussed.

Peer Academic Supports for Success (PASS) for College Students with Mental Illness: Open Trial

Increasing numbers of college students have serious mental health conditions, but their dropout rates are high and debt accrual is common. A well-specified intervention that colleges can directly offer their undergraduates with serious mental health conditions that sustains their academic persistence is greatly needed. The Peer Academic Supports for Success (PASS) coaching model was developed to address this need. This study’s goal was to conduct an open trial of the initial PASS model to test the feasibility of the model and research methods in preparation for more rigorous testing. Ten college juniors and seniors, with and without lived mental health experience, were hired, trained, and supervised to be PASS peer coaches. Twelve undergraduate students with academically impairing mental health conditions served as study participants and received PASS. Student data were collected at baseline and two semesters post baseline. Intervention feasibility data were assessed through coach report. Results indicate PASS can be delivered with fidelity by peer coaches, can attract and retain students, and is safe. Results also suggest that PASS has significant effects on most of the targeted proximal outcomes. The PASS findings are promising as a college-based intervention to support young adult students with mental health conditions.

Associations between Chinese college students’ anxiety and depression: A chain mediation analysis

Objective

Anxiety and depression are great public health concerns among college students. The purpose of this study was to explore whether sleep quality and quality of life (QoL) play mediating roles in anxiety and depression among Chinese college students.

Method

A total of 2757 college students (mean age = 19.07; SD = 1.14) completed the questionnaires, including a brief demographic survey. The 2-item General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) and the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) were used to assess the symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. And the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) were used to evaluate college students’ sleep quality and QoL, respectively. Mediation analyses were conducted by using PROCESS macro in the SPSS software.

Result

Anxiety had both direct and indirect effects on depression. Sleep quality and QoL were not only independent mediators in the relationship between anxiety and depression but also chain mediators.

Conclusion

The results of the current study highlight the crucial role of early intervention for depression with a focus on college students with anxiety, more especially, on those with poorer sleep quality and lower QoL.

First-Year University Students' Mental Health Trajectories Were Disrupted at the Onset of COVID-19, but Disruptions Were Not Linked to Housing and Financial Vulnerabilities: A Registered Report

This study modeled disruptions in first-year undergraduates' trajectories of mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, testing whether disruptions were worse for students who moved residences, reported low family income, or were food insecure. Participants (n = 510) at a large Canadian university reported depression, anxiety, and stress in September, November, January, and March. In March 2020, in tandem with COVID-related campus closures, students also reported for each mental health measure whether their responses were influenced by personal experiences surrounding the pandemic. As hypothesized, students who reported feeling more COVID-related disruption reported poorer mental health in March. Contrary to hypotheses, mental health disruptions were not more pronounced for students who moved, had low income, or were food insecure. Survey administration at an early stage of COVID-19 combined with supports afforded by moving in with parents and near-universal government income assistance may have mitigated the incremental distress we hypothesized for vulnerable students.

The Holistic Grief Effects of Bereaved Black Female College Students

This study examined the holistic grief effects of Black female college students. A total of 105 participants from two universities, who identified as Black or African American females, completed a questionnaire regarding death losses and grief effects they experienced. Descriptive statistics and ANOVAs examined between-group differences based on loss experiences. Linear regressions predicted the grief effects Black female college students experience based on time since loss and cause of death. Participants displayed holistic grief effects in all six dimensions of cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual/world assumptions, with emotional and cognitive effects as the most experienced grief effects. The cause of death had a statistically significant effect on grief effects with suicide and murder, displaying higher mean effects. Although statistically significant relationships were not found between grief effects and time of loss, most mean effects peaked at 7-12 months post-loss. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.

Psychological resilience and current stressful events as potential mediators between adverse childhood experiences and depression among college students in Eritrea

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well recognized remote risks for adulthood depression. However, proximal processes for this relationship is still an ongoing research endeavor, particularly among college students living in resource-limited settings. The mechanism of the impact of ACEs on depression may be attributed to mediators such as psychological resilience and current stressful events (CSEs).

METHODS

Data was obtained using a cross-sectional study from a national representative sample of college undergraduates in Eritrea (N = 507). To explain the mediated effect of ACEs on depression, a mediation analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed.

RESULTS

ACEs were found to have both direct (β = 0.102, p = 0.023) and indirect (β = 0.216, p < 0.001) effects on depression. The indirect effect was negatively mediated by psychological resilience and positively by CSEs. Respondents with higher levels of psychological resilience reported lower depressive symptoms and lower ACEs scores, while those with higher scores of either CSEs or ACEs reported more depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of ACEs on depression may be reduced by managing current stressors and building students' psychological resilience.

Teasing Apart the Effect of Depression Specific and Anxiety Specific Symptoms on Academic Outcomes

Research shows that adolescents' performance in school can be negatively affected by depression and anxiety. However, past studies have used nonspecific measures of depression and anxiety that preclude researchers from understanding their unique effects. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by teasing apart the effects of depression specific and anxiety specific symptoms on end of semester grade point average (GPA) and the likelihood of dropping a course. We used a 3-month longitudinal design with a sample of 130 United States (U.S.) undergraduates. Results showed that only cumulative GPA and ACT score predicted end of semester GPA. However, high levels of anxiety specific (anxious arousal), but not depression specific (anhedonia), symptoms predicted whether or not a student dropped a course. These results suggest that targeting anxiety specific symptoms in schools may be effective in improving academic outcomes.

Avoidance coping and academic locus of control as mediators of the relationship between posttraumatic stress and academic achievement among first-year college students

Background and Objectives: Posttraumatic stress (PTS) has been found to be associated with poor academic performance among college students. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship is limited to the results of a few recent studies. The present study is aimed at expanding the literature in this area by examining whether avoidance coping and external academic locus of control (LOC) mediate the relationship between PTS and academic achievement among first-year college students. Design: A correlational study design was used. Students completed a quantitative survey in their first semester of college. After they completed their first academic year, we obtained their grade point averages (GPAs) through the university. Method: Participants included 280 first-year college students with a history of potentially traumatic events. Data obtained from these participants were analyzed using path analysis. Results: Two indirect paths from PTS to first-year GPA were significant, suggesting that external academic LOC mediated the effects of both PTS and avoidance coping on first-year GPA. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the interventions that target external academic LOC may help reduce the detrimental effects of PTS on academic achievement among trauma-exposed college students.

Mental Health Disparities Among College Students of Color

PURPOSE

Understanding the mental health needs of students of color is a growing priority on college and university campuses nationwide. This study aims to capture the state of mental health among students of color, including the prevalence of mental health problems and treatment utilization.

METHODS

The sample is comprised of 43,375 undergraduate and graduate students at 60 institutions that participated in the survey-based Healthy Minds Study from 2012 to 2015. These data include over 13,000 students of color; we look separately at African-American, Latinx, Asian/Asian American, and Arab/Arab American students. Data are analyzed at the individual level using bivariate and multivariate modeling to elucidate variations across race/ethnicity. We examine symptom prevalence (measured by validated screens such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression), help-seeking behaviors, and related factors (including knowledge and stigma).

RESULTS

Across race/ethnicity, we find modest variation in symptom prevalence and larger variation in service utilization. Overall, treatment use is lower among students of color relative to white students, even when controlling for other variables in regression models. Asian/Asian American students have the lowest prevalence of treatment, at only 20% among those with apparent mental health conditions. Attitudes related to mental health treatment also vary significantly and help to explain the primary findings.

CONCLUSIONS

College students of color represent a disparities population based on greater levels of unmet mental health needs relative to white students. This paper takes an important step toward understanding these needs and points to implications for future research and practice.

Lift Every Voice: Exploring the Stressors and Coping Mechanisms of Black College Women Attending Predominantly White Institutions

In the past 40 years, there has been a significant increase in Black students’ enrollment at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Meanwhile, research shows that Black students often experience difficulty with transitioning and adjusting to PWIs. Previous research has effectively documented the challenges facing a significant number of Black students at PWIs; however, less is known about the experiences of Black women in particular. This study examined stress from racial tension experienced among 129 Black undergraduate women at PWIs in the Northeast region of the United States, as well as the potential moderating factors of the theorized Strong Black Woman concept and the Africultural coping theory. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated a significant positive association between racial tension experienced on campus and stress. Results also indicated that only Africultural coping was a significant moderator of this relationship, such that there was a weaker relationship between racial tension and stress among the participants who engaged more in Africultural coping. Policy implications for improving the campus racial climate and the academic experiences of Black college women at PWIs are discussed.