Optimizing Efforts to Promote Mental Health on College and University Campuses: Recommendations to Facilitate Usage of Services, Resources, and Supports

Ready or not…here we grow! Evaluating the competency of nursing faculty in supporting nursing student mental health: A quantitative investigation

BACKGROUND

College students are amid a mental health crisis with campuses seeing the highest rates of mental health disorders in over a decade. College nursing students stand out as particularly affected, experiencing elevated levels of anxiety, stress, and depression compared to the general student population. At the forefront of addressing this issue are college faculty, especially nursing faculty, who play a unique role in identifying and referring students with mental health needs due to their close interactions in smaller teaching-learning settings such as clinicals, simulations, and one-on-one validations.

AIM

This study evaluated the perceived competency, knowledge, engagement, and fear levels of nursing faculty in supporting the mental health of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. Additionally, the study explored whether faculty members with prior MH training differed in these levels.

METHODS

Survey data from 63 faculty members employed across six prominent nursing schools in the southeast region of the United States, all offering Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, were analyzed. Employing a cross-sectional design, the study utilized the "College Mental Health Perceived Competency Scale" (CMHPCS) to assess faculty's competence, knowledge, engagement and fear in supporting student mental health.

RESULTS

Among the 63 participants, significant differences were observed in engagement levels between nursing faculty with and without prior mental health training (p < .012). Overall, the surveyed nursing faculty demonstrated high levels of competence, engagement and knowledge and low levels of fear in supporting the nursing student's mental health.

CONCLUSION

The results prompt recommendations for future research aimed at developing a comprehensive approach to equip nursing faculty with effective mental health training and interventions. Such efforts seek to empower student nurses with the tools necessary to support their own mental health, enabling them to competently care for patients and communities.

Impact of a mindfulness and self-care intervention on stress, self-compassion, and attentiveness in university healthcare students and faculty

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate impact of a 12-week, online, guided, self-paced intervention of mindfulness and self-care practices on self-compassion, attentiveness, and perceived stress.

PARTICIPANTS

University healthcare faculty and students.

METHODS

Participants received 7 different mindful and self-care activity options every week for 12 wk. A pre-survey, weekly surveys, and one-month post-survey assessed outcome measures of the Perceived Stress Scale 4, Self-Compassion Scale-SF, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, health behaviors, and feasibility.

RESULTS

A total of 232 participants had one or more outcome measures and 68 completed all 14 measures. Students and faculty demonstrated significantly increased mindful attention awareness, days of mindfulness practice, self-compassion, and trended toward more physical activity. They reported significantly lower stress and that mindful practice altered the way they dealt with stress. Days of mindfulness practice were significantly negatively correlated to stress and positively correlated to self-care.

CONCLUSIONS

This intervention demonstrated both effectiveness and feasibility, with most participants choosing shorter meditation, yoga, and self-care options.

Effectiveness of stress management interventions for nursing students: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Elevated stress levels are related to diminished mental health, potentially leading to decreased well-being and performance of nursing students. While researchers have focused on developing stress management interventions, there is a need to synthesize the evidence. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of stress management interventions in nursing students. A systematic literature search identified controlled stress management interventions employing a validated psychological or physiological stress measure. Forty-one studies were included, with 36 forming a pool of 2715 participants in the meta-analysis. The overall effect on psychological stress was positive. Intervention type, delivery modality, intervention duration in weeks, and number of sessions were moderators of intervention effectiveness, with more significant effects for mind-body programs, on-site delivery methods, durations of 9-12 weeks, and 15-30 sessions. For physiological stress, the biomarkers of blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels decreased significantly. Future research is necessary for promising outcomes related to currently underrepresented indicators and to investigate the long-term effects of interventions.

Navigating college campuses: The impact of stress on mental health and substance use in the post COVID-19 era

The college years are one of excitement and often thought of as a dream like setting of growth, creativity, and independence. This exciting time can be marred by the onset or exacerbation of mental health conditions, alcohol, and/or drug dependence. This writing looks to explore the world of college mental health and the changes the provisions of this type of care has undergone during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We look at the staggering rates of diagnosed mental health diagnoses and mental health related symptoms that may undermine a student's ability to meet their full growth and academic potential. We look to explore different health settings where college age students are accessing care and how that care is being delivered (e.g. community vs on-campus, telehealth vs in-person). We also aim to highlight specific mental health conditions (e.g. anxiety, depression, suicidality, PTSD) and specific student stressors (e.g. participating in athletics, socioeconomic pressures) to underscore the message that the mental health of college age students is an area that needs continued study and engagement of all parties involved in student development and well-being.

NITEO: an innovative mental health and education program designed to reengage students with mental health conditions in college

Objective: The prevalence of mental health symptoms on university campuses is high and rising, resulting in detrimental effects on academic performance. Few resources exist to address the needs of students who must leave school for mental health reasons. Participants: Seeking to understand the effect of a college reentry program (NITEO) to assist students in reengaging with undergraduate studies, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with all college coaches (N = 5), triangulating our findings with interviews of NITEO students (N = 31). Methods: We used a rapid and focused ethnographic approach with thematic and content analysis using NVivo software. Results: Two major themes arose from our analyses affirming the role of the college coach in (1) developing a strong working alliance as a foundation for coaching; (2) promoting self-determination. Conclusions: Programs that enable students with mental health conditions who have dropped out to reenter college are needed; college coaching can be an effective approach.

Understanding and Fostering Mental Health and Well-Being among University Faculty: A Narrative Review

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of mental health concerns in academia, with stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression being reported among faculty members. The demanding work environment, the need to balance personal and professional duties, and the constant pressure of productivity while navigating multiple tasks of teaching, research, mentorship, professional development, and service all impact the mental health and overall well-being of faculty. Higher education institutions have structurally changed as has the research landscape. These changes as well as faculty-specific and student-specific factors coupled to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to profound effects on the mental health of academics. This paper is a narrative review of the pertinent literature describing faculty mental health and well-being. It summarizes the available evidence on factors influencing faculty mental health and shows the prevalence of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout among faculty from various academic fields and along the whole academic ladder. Using a suggested framework that collates the efforts of leaders and faculty, the paper concludes by exploring strategies that promote work-life balance among academics and suggesting effective interventions to improve their mental health outcomes.

Knowledge Management-Based Mental Health Service Model: Sustainable Application during College Students’ Education

In order to meet the dynamic mental health needs of college students, it is important to promote quality mental health services and to improve the development view of college students’ mental health. This paper uses a knowledge management method to construct college students’ developmental mental health service model. The model is informed by knowledge management, which comprehensively considers service-related components, namely, resources, content, approach, process, personnel, and objects. Furthermore, knowledge management constructs the system structure of the model and expands the research ideas and contents of the service resource pool. Moreover, knowledge management supports the platform, core technology system, and service process in the model. Finally, using Suzhou University as an example, this study examines the implementation and application of the service model to test the effectiveness of the knowledge management method. Thus, this study provides theoretical and methodological support for the construction, implementation, and application of a sustainable mental health service model for college students.