College Student Mental Health

Sexual Assault Prevalence and Community College Students: Challenges and Promising Practices

“…Sexual assault victims report better well-being and academic outcomes when they have access to mental and physical health services (Eisenberg et al, 2016). However, only 42% of community colleges reported having health centers on campus, and only 27% offered sexually transmitted disease testing in the most recent study (Ottenritter, 2002).…”

Serving the Whole Student: Addressing Nonacademic Barriers Facing Rural Community College Students

“…A survey conducted in 2014 indicated that over half of community college counselors were seeing a notable increase in students seeking mental health services for issues such as depression or anxiety (Patel, ). More recent studies have indicated that almost half of community college students may suffer from a mental health problem, including depression and anxiety; and of those, fewer than half are receiving any form of mental health care (Eisenberg, Goldrick‐Rab, Lipson, & Broton, ). In many cases, these issues are “invisible” from faculty, staff, and administration, until they begin to affect student performance, or until a student identifies themselves as struggling.…”

“…Rural community colleges can address student mental health concerns in a variety of ways, including providing counseling options, launching prevention and awareness programs, reducing the stigma of mental illness through such programs, giving students information that allows them to find local resources, and creating a series of protocols designed to assist students in crisis (Eisenberg et al., ). Although all community colleges may enroll students who are experiencing mental health issues, it is important that rural community colleges provide access to students who may not be able to readily access or find mental health services off campus.…”

Correlates of Condom use Among Community College Women: The Role of Victimization, Substance Use, and Mental Health Symptoms

“…Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the additive as well as interactive effects of the aforementioned psychosocial conditions on condom use among a sample of women enrolled in a large Northeastern community college. The application of a syndemic framework to examine these intersecting concerns is reasonable, given evidence of high rates of sexual assault (Urquiza & Goodlin-Jones, 1994), sexual risk behavior (Shapiro et al, 1999; Trieu et al, 2011), substance use (Sheffield et al, 2005), and mental health concerns (Eisenberg et al, 2016) among community college students. Further, many community college students experience financial stress (Baum, Little, & Payea, 2011; Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2017), and syndemic frameworks also emphasize how factors related to marginalization increase risk for negative health outcomes (Singer et al, 2006).…”

“…Depression following victimization may heighten PTSD; resulting in rapid turnover of sexual partners and increased contact with riskier social networks (Holmes, Foa & Sammel, 2005). Notably, a recent survey of over 4,000 community college students documents that upwards of 50% report a current or recent mental health concern, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, or an eating disorder (Eisenberg, Goldrick-Rab, Lipson, & Broton, 2016). These data underscore the importance of considering the role of mental health concerns when examining predictors of condom use among women attending community college.…”