Mental health and academic outcomes over the first year at university in international compared to domestic Canadian students

Risk-Taking, Social Support, and Belongingness Contribute to the Risk for Cannabis Use Frequency in University Students

Background: Cannabis use and misuse is known to be associated with a variety of negative health, academic, and work-related outcomes; therefore, it is important to study the factors that contribute to or moderate its use. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether risky behavior, belongingness and social support as clustering variables play a role in cannabis use frequency. Method: In a university student sample, participant data on risky behavior, belongingness and social support were used to generate vulnerability profiles through cluster analysis (low vulnerability with low risk, low vulnerability with high belonging, moderate vulnerability, and high vulnerability). Using an analysis of variance, the vulnerability profiles were compared with respect to cannabis use frequency and quantity. Through chi-square tests we assessed whether these profiles are overrepresented in certain demographics. Results: The cluster analysis yielded four groups, which differed in their vulnerability for cannabis use. The most vulnerable cluster group had higher cannabis use frequency relative to the two least vulnerable groups. Low income vs. high income was also associated with high vulnerability group membership. International students were overrepresented in the low vulnerability with high belonging group relative to the low vulnerability with low-risk group. The opposite was observed for domestic students. Conclusions: This research adds to the expanding body of literature on cannabis use and misuse in Canada, which may contribute to public health policy and the prevention and treatment of cannabis addiction by providing new insight on who may be at risk.

Counseling Center and Therapist Effects on Changes in Suicidal Ideation among College Students Receiving Services on Campus: Comparisons across International Status, Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

OBJECTIVE

Examine center- and therapist-level factors that may impact suicide ideation outcomes for college students with minoritized identities.

METHOD

Data were drawn from a 2015-2017 data set collected from 136 university counseling centers that were part of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. This study used a three-level model in hierarchical linear modeling with clients (Level 1; N = 122,212), clients nested in therapists (Level 2; N = 2,574), and therapists nested in counseling centers (Level 3; N = 120).

RESULTS

Racially/ethnically minoritized students were 20%, LGBQ + students were 100% more likely, and women students were 20% less likely to have suicidal ideation at the first session, compared to White, male, heterosexual domestic students. LGBQ + students were 20%, and international students were 50% more likely to have suicidal ideation in the last session, compared to White, male, heterosexual domestic students. Cross-level interactions revealed that when therapists had a higher percentage of international students on their caseload, international students had decreased suicidal ideation. Similarly, when therapists had a higher percentage of male students on their caseload, their male students had decreased suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study support the importance of experience and competence in working with minoritized students, as therapists who had more international and men students on their caseload fared better in decreasing the suicide ideation of respective students. This suggests that continued exposure to the unique challenges faced by particular minoritized groups of college students can enhance the quality of care delivered by therapists.

International tertiary education students experienced difficulties in dietary transitions in Australia: A qualitative study

ISSUE ADDRESSED

More attention to the diet and nutritional status of international students in Australian universities is indicated. This qualitative research aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of dietary changes among international students after they arrived in Australia.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with international students from China and India who were studying at a large urban Australian university. An approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed for coding and data analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 14 interviews were included. International students were able to consume more international foods, dairy products and animal proteins in Australia as a result of increased exposure to a larger variety of these foods compared with their home countries. However, they experienced some difficulties in eating vegetables and authentic traditional foods due to limited availability and higher prices in Australia. It was challenging for these students to live independently and cook for themselves for the first time and with a limited food budget and time, but many students improved their cooking skills over time. Less frequent main meals with more snacking sessions were reported. Weight fluctuations were commonly experienced and craving for traditional foods no longer accessible may negatively impact mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

International students adapted to the Australian food environment but believed the food choices available did not meet their food preferences or perhaps nutritional requirements.

SO WHAT

Some intervention from universities and/or government may be needed to ease the barriers to consumption of affordable and desirable meals in a time-saving manner for international students.

Barriers and facilitators associated with the use of mental health services among immigrant students in high-income countries: A systematic scoping review

BACKGROUND

Immigrant students face various challenges in high-income countries that can contribute to the decline of their mental well-being upon arrival in their host country. Despite the growing population of these students in several high-income countries, there is inadequate attention given to their mental health needs and their access to mental health services. Thus, this systematic scoping review aimed to identify gaps in existing research relating to the barriers and facilitators associated with access to and use of mental health services in high-income countries.

METHODS

Following the PRISMA-ScR checklist as guidance we systematically searched Ovid Medline, APA PsycInfo, Education Source, CINAHL, Web of Science databases for peer reviewed articles related to barriers and facilitators of mental health service use among immigrant students. We conducted a narrative evidence synthesis to highlight barriers and facilitators to the use of mental health services.

RESULTS

Out of the 2407 articles initially found, 47 studies met the inclusion criteria and were considered for this review. The increasing attention towards the mental health concerns of immigrant students and their access to mental health services is evident. However, various barriers like stigma, insufficient knowledge, or adherence to traditional gender roles (such as masculinity) hinder their utilization of these services. On the other hand, factors such as being a woman, having a strong sense of cultural adaptation, or possessing adequate mental health literacy serve as facilitators for accessing mental health services.

CONCLUSION

These students have unique experiences, and their needs are often unmet. To improve their mental health and use of mental health services, it is important to consider the barriers they face and their unique experience in their specific life context and to develop tailored prevention and intervention programs.

Literacy and Mental Health of Portuguese Higher Education Students and Their Use of Health Promotion Strategies during Confinement in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic of COVID-19 caused significant changes in economies and societies with a major impact on the entire education process. However, these changes did not invalidate a constant effort of adaptation. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study used an online questionnaire administered to students from various study cycles at higher education institutions in Portugal, with the aim of exploring the influence of literacy and mental health on the use of mental health promotion strategies during COVID-19 confinement. A total of 329 students from higher education institutions participated in this study, mostly from the age group 18-24 years (n = 272; 82.7%) and female (n = 265, 80.5%). The most mentioned health promotion strategies during this period included studying (n = 170; 51.7%); physical activities (n = 151, 45.9%); social networking (n = 124, 37.7%); cooking activities (n = 120, 36.5%); and listening to music (n = 118, 35.9%). Academic success is self-reported, and it is weakly correlated with the MHI5 (r = 0.103, p = 0.063). Students in the pre-graduate programs studied more during the times of the pandemic and used this activity as a mental-health-promoting strategy with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.033). Although it was difficult to improve health literacy related to COVID-19 in such a short period of time, there was a very strong motivation to access, understand, evaluate, communicate, synthesize, and apply information and knowledge to maintain mental health through self-care using health promotion strategies.

Transitions to campus mental health care in university students: Determinants and predictors

Background: Access to university mental health services is poorly characterized. Our objectives were to (1) assess patterns of access and (2) explore predictability of contact with student mental health services. Participants: Data derived from the U-Flourish study, which includes a survey of successive cohorts of incoming undergraduate students attending Queen's University, located in Ontario, Canada (Cohort 1: 2018, Cohort 2: 2019). Methods: Survey data sets were deterministically linked to administrative data provided by Student Wellness Services. Analyses included cross-tabulation, logistic and negative binomial regression. Predictive modeling used LASSO regression. Results: Baseline symptoms were robust determinants of access. For example, a PHQ-9 rating in the severe range (≥ 20) was associated with an OR of 9.71 (95% CI: 4.46-21.1). A predictive algorithm did not outperform cut point-based interpretation of PHQ-9 or GAD-7 ratings. Conclusions: Self-reported symptoms are consistently associated with service use, supporting the widespread use of symptom screens.

Exploration and Strategy Analysis of Mental Health Education for Students in Sports Majors in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

This study aims to explore new educational strategies suitable for the mental health education of college students. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are combined to evaluate the mental health education of college students in sports majors. First, the research status on the mental health education of college students is introduced. The internet of things (IoT) on mental health education, a structure based on big data and convolutional neural network (CNN), is constructed. Next, the survey design and questionnaire survey are carried out. Finally, the questionnaire data are analyzed and compared with the mental health status under traditional education. The results show that the CNN model has good accuracy and ability to distinguish symptoms, so it can be applied to the existing psychological work in colleges. In the symptom comparison survey, under the traditional education and big data network, the number of college students with mild mental health problems is found to be 158 (84.9%) and 170 (91.4%), respectively. It indicates that the number of college students with moderate mental health problems decreases significantly. In the comparative investigation of the severity of mental problems, the number of students with normal mental health, subhealth, and serious mental health problems under the background of traditional mental health education is 125 (67.2%), 56 (30.1%), and 5 (2.7%), respectively. The mental health status of college students under the influence of big data networks on mental health education is better than that of traditional mental health education. There are 140 students with normal mental health, a year-on-year increase of 16.7%. In the comparative survey of specific mental disorders, students with obsessive-compulsive symptoms under traditional mental health education account for 22.0% of the total sample, having the largest proportion. In the subhealth psychological group under the big data network on mental health education, the number of hostile students decreases by 7, which is the psychological factor with the most obvious improvement. Hence, the proposed path of mental health education is feasible.