{"id":9086,"date":"2024-10-30T18:36:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T18:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=9086"},"modified":"2024-10-30T18:36:50","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T18:36:50","slug":"new-study-unveils-university-students-increased-mental-health-distress-during-covid-19-decline-in-support-service-utilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-study-unveils-university-students-increased-mental-health-distress-during-covid-19-decline-in-support-service-utilization\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Unveils University Students&#8217; Increased Mental Health Distress During COVID-19, Decline in Support Service Utilization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A recent study from George Mason University shows that college students faced heightened psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic but were less likely to use mental health services, especially among minority groups. The findings urge the development of culturally aware mental health strategies on campuses.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted university students&#8217; mental health, amplifying distress while simultaneously reducing their utilization of vital support services, according to a new study from George Mason University&#8217;s College of Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elaine Russell, a doctoral candidate in public health at George Mason University, led the study under the mentorship of Kenneth Griffin, a professor in the Department of Global &amp; Community Health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collaborating with fellow doctoral candidate Tolulope Abidogun and former professor Lisa Lindley, now at Lehigh University, the team analyzed data from the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA III) to gauge the shift in mental health needs among university students from pre-COVID-19 to the peak of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMore U.S. college students suffered from mental health concerns during the pandemic, but fewer received necessary mental health treatment,\u201d Russell said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.gmu.edu\/news\/2024-10\/new-study-shows-university-students-experienced-increased-psychological-distress\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This pioneering study is the first to leverage a national dataset to explore changes in university students&#8217; mental health and their use of mental health services from pre-COVID-19 to the height of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> Consistent with prior research on diverse populations, the study found that racial\/ethnic, gender and sexual minority groups faced a higher risk of mental health struggles during the pandemic. Notably, students of color, particularly female students, were less likely to receive mental health support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen developing innovative approaches to improving mental health outcomes on college campuses, it is important to be culturally sensitive and understand the diverse needs of the specific student population,\u201d added Russell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team utilized data spanning from Fall 2019 and early Spring 2020 (pre-pandemic) to Spring 2021 (during the pandemic), focusing on full-time undergraduate students aged 18-24 at four-year universities in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They applied several validated psychological scales to measure students\u2019 self-reported levels of distress, loneliness, stress, well-being and resilience. The study also assessed COVID-19-specific stressors and students&#8217; mental health service usage within the 12 months preceding the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese findings are important to better understand sub-groups who disproportionately suffer from severe psychological distress but may not be accessing the necessary care,\u201d the study reports. It identifies barriers such as lack of access to mental health services, discrimination within the health care system and mental health stigma as contributors to students&#8217; reluctance to seek help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cImprovements in mental health resources must also address stigma and empower students to access necessary care,\u201d Russell added. She suggests that utilizing peer health educators and normalizing mental health treatment could be effective strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell concludes by calling for future research to delve deeper into the barriers preventing high-risk university students from using mental health services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/public-health\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1442773\/full\" title=\"\">published<\/a> online in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted university students&#8217; mental health, amplifying distress while simultaneously reducing their utilization of vital support services, according to a new study from George Mason University&#8217;s College of Public Health. Elaine Russell, a doctoral candidate in public health at George Mason University, led the study under the mentorship of Kenneth Griffin, a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted university students&#8217; mental health, amplifying distress while simultaneously reducing their utilization of vital support services, according to a new study from George Mason University&#8217;s College of Public Health. Elaine Russell, a doctoral candidate in public health at George Mason University, led the study under the mentorship of Kenneth Griffin, a&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9086"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9133,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9086\/revisions\/9133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}