Mental Disorder, Service Utilization, and GPA: Studying Mental Health of Former Child Welfare and Youth Experiencing Homelessness in a Campus Support Program

Abstract

Research has identified higher rates of mental disorders among former child welfare youth and youth experiencing homelessness when compared with their peers in the general population. Given the growing number of campus support programs serving these youth, research should focus on students in these programs to understand whether mental health problems interfere with these students’ receipt of program services, which can lead to unsatisfactory academic performance. This study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from students in a campus support program to examine the prevalence of mental disorders, mental health service use, receipt of program services, students’ grade point average, and their perceptions of obstacles and motivations to academic success. Implications for social work research and practice are discussed.

University students’ use of mental health services: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The remainder from Australia [ 73 , 74 ], Brazil [ 75 , 76 ], China [ 77 ], Canada [ 78 ], Ethiopia [ 79 ], Bangladesh [ 28 ], and Italy [ 80 ]. A total of nineteen studies were samples of students from separate individual universities [ 43 , 46 , 48 – 55 , 67 , 68 , 70 , 73 , 75 – 77 , 79 , 80 ]. Whereas the remaining twenty-four were samples across multiple universities [ 9 , 20 , 23 , 28 , 41 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 56 – 59 , 61 – 66 , 69 , 71 , 72 , 74 , 78 ].…”

“…Outcomes were assessed using standardised questionnaires and open questions. Of the remaining seven studies, one was a longitudinal study [ 46 ], one was a cohort study using a mix of a baseline survey and linked electronic medical records from the university counselling centre [ 77 ], two were secondary data analyses of electronic medical records from university counselling or health centres [ 52 , 59 , 60 ], and two were mixed method studies [ 48 , 80 ].…”

“…Most studies included general samples of student attending a university with fifteen studies studying specific subgroups of students [ 41 , 44 , 51 , 52 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 63 , 65 , 69 – 71 , 73 – 76 ]. Thirteen studies included samples of students ‘at risk’ [ 23 , 48 – 50 , 56 , 57 , 62 , 64 , 66 , 68 , 72 , 79 , 80 ]. Two studies sampled university faculty members, in addition to university students, although these participants were not asked about mental health service use [ 41 , 47 ].…”

“…Only one study used an ordered categorical response option where participants were asked to state whether they had used a particular service using a Likert scale ranging from 1–5 (never-often) [ 50 ]. Of the two mixed methods studies one reported current use [ 48 ], and the other reported on lifetime use [ 80 ]. Secondary analyses of electronic medical records examined number of unique visits per student over the study period [ 52 , 59 , 60 ].…”

“…The lowest two estimates overall were in subgroups of students namely international students (2.6%) [ 52 ], and students in China (5.1%) [ 77 ], and among students Bangladeshi universities (7.1%) [ 28 ]. Whereas the highest estimates overall and in the category of either on campus or off campus services were in a study of medical students with more severe current psychological distress using services offering potentially any treatment (75%) [ 73 ]; previously homeless students or who had been in care where a broad service model had been developed for them (68%) [ 48 ], and veterinary students (62.5%) [ 61 ]. For this estimate participants reported against the use of “counselling”—which could have a broad interpretation in the USA.…”