Student Affairs and Mental Health among Students
Mental health among college students has significantly increased and has become problematic in institutions of higher learning. Student affairs in colleges and universities must put into place measures that will help reduce the level of mental health issues. The student affair has to understand that mental health dramatically impacts the student’s social, mental, and academic well-being. Student affairs mental health professionals must expand their skills, knowledge, and awareness to ensure they operate effectively with students with psychological problems. Handling this issue is important as mental health is a barrier to success for many students.
Annotated Bibliography
Massey, J., Brooks, M., & Burrow, J. (2014). Evaluating the effectiveness of mental health first aid training among student affairs staff at a Canadian University. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 51(3), 323–336. Web.
Massey et al. (2014) study shows that training student affairs staff in handling students’ mental health is crucial. This is because it does not need professionals outside the university but within, which is essential in promoting capacity building. Furthermore, it empowers the students studying mental health as the demand for mental health services within the college is significantly large. Training the student affairs staff on mental health equips them with various services to help students.
This research article is helpful for universities that have problems meeting the demand for mental health services. The institutions can use the model Massey et al. (2014) used to train their student affairs, ensuring that mental health problems in the university are managed effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, students tend to provide detailed information to people they feel safe with, reducing mental illness levels as they will communicate easily with student affairs staff.
Winger, A. T., & Olson, M. R. (2015). College student mental health: The experiences of faculty members and student affairs personnel. Focus on Colleges, Universities, and Schools, 9(1), 1–16. Web.
According to Winger and Olson (2015), mental health illness among students is a key problem that requires the union of students and student affairs personnel to achieve positive results. The student affairs team has to understand the workload and other pressures that students might have been subjected to promote the management of mental problems. Colleges and universities must ensure that mental health is well managed, and the duty should not solely depend on counseling services.
Winger and Olson’s (2015) study findings help inform institutions of higher learning regarding the outcome of mental health problems among students and the significance of student affairs in managing mental issues. The research shows that for effective mental health, student affairs, and students must operate in unison, as this will result in positive outcomes. Furthermore, the study informs colleges and universities on the importance of integration in managing mental health problems.
Koo, K., & Nyunt, G. (2020). Culturally sensitive assessment of mental health for international students. New Directions for Student Services, 2020(169), 43–52. Web.
Koo and Nyunt (2020) investigated international students’ mental health with services offered by the institution’s student affairs and health professionals. Student affairs staff have previously used the same assessment to handle local and international students’ mental health problems, but it has become problematic. However, the researcher found that culturally sensitive mental health interventions have positive results when applied appropriately to international students. The study shows that student affairs must have close contact with international students to understand their cultural backgrounds for the intervention to be effective.
This study provides significant insights into handling mental health problems in institutions. The research shows that when carefully used, the culturally sensitive intervention positively reduces mental health problems in both local and international students. Colleges can use the same by empowering the student affairs staff through close integration with students to ensure that mental health problems are well managed. Furthermore, the study informs institutions on handling mental health problems among minority groups such as those with disability.
Barton, A. L., & Kirtley, M. S. (2012). Gender differences in the relationships among parenting styles and college student Mental Health. Journal of American College Health, 60(1), 21–26. Web.
Barton and Kirtley (2012) investigated the relationship between parenting styles and mental health among college students and the role of student affairs in handling the issue. The findings show that females are susceptible to mental health due to their parenting style. The study indicates that activities performed by college administration and student affairs have a higher chance of reducing mental health problems. For instance, campus orientation helps communicate college expectations which prepares students psychologically. Student affairs provide support through guidance and encouragement, which aids in reducing mental issues such as stress and depression.
The findings of this research can be applied to institutions of higher learning. This will create awareness regarding high levels of stress and anxiety among female students, and during orientation, student affairs can make them a top priority in mental health awareness. Furthermore, student affairs staff can create social cohorts to help students joining campus understand life at school, what is expected from them, and the challenges they may experience.
Makoni, M. (2021). Mental health is a worry for student affairs worldwide. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 4(2), 1–2. Web.
According to Makoni (2021), a significant percentage of students are experiencing mental health problems. The psychological problem is driven by success pressure, as every student wants success. The challenge of handling mental health problems in student affairs is caused by students’ varied psychological issues. Makoni (2021) argues that student affairs face a crucial challenge in helping students adjust to campus life. The current generation is socially active, balancing responsibilities and freedom. Furthermore, student affairs have less awareness which acts as a barrier.
This article is helpful for colleges and universities as it provides background information on the level of mental health within the campus. It prepares the student affairs on what to expect when creating interventions to manage mental health problems. It also shows that student affairs require maximum attention to ensure effectiveness. This will help the institution develop ways to support this program’s success, considering its benefits in reducing mental health problems.
Baik, C., Larcombe, W., & Brooker, A. (2019). How universities can enhance student mental well-being: The student perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(4), 674–687. Web.
Baik et al. (2019) study shows that mental health on campus is prevalent, and significant barriers prevent the students from finding solutions. Access to student affairs is one of the barriers that makes it challenging for students to get counseling services and advice from the student affairs staff. The finding shows that awareness regarding mental health services is needed to meet the growing demand for mental problems. Limited resources in student affairs are also a fundamental problem, as students have limited access to crucial mental health interventions.
This article can be applied to colleges and universities to inform the administration and other education policymakers on barriers that prevent students from finding help regarding mental health issues. Inadequate access to student affairs implies that only a few students will have the courage to seek help, increasing the rate of mental problems on campuses. Additionally, it will help institutions of higher learning find ways of creating awareness of student affairs programs that help manage mental issues.
Prince, J. P. (2015). University student counseling and Mental Health in the United States: Trends and challenges. Mental Health & Prevention, 3(1-2), 5–10. Web.
Prince’s (2015) study shows increased pressure on student affairs due to high mental health problems among students. There is a need to redesign the interventions to ensure they are per the changing demographics currently present in many institutions. Students sometimes join campus with mental health conditions, which burdens student affairs. Furthermore, the enrollment of international students has also brought the need for revisiting current mental health interventions.
The study by Prince (2015) helps inform institutions about changes taking place on campuses, especially in the management of mental health. The research highlights the importance of analyzing cognitive interventions in operation, as demographic changes have rendered them unsuitable for solving mental health issues. Institutions must also consider international student enrollment to ensure the interventions are diverse.
Reingle, J., Thombs, D., Osborn, C., Saffian, S., & Oltersdorf, D. (2010). Mental health and substance use: A qualitative study of resident assistants’ attitudes and referral practices. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 47(3), 325–342. Web.
Reingle et al. (2010) show that multiple factors prevent students from seeking help from student affairs. Seeking help is perceived as a weakness among students and is considered taboo. Limited contact between the students and student affairs staff makes it challenging for them to speak about their mental health problems. The research also shows little training among student affairs staff, making it challenging to help students with mental health.
This study helps policymakers and institutions by providing them with information regarding the mental health problem among students. This shows that students lack awareness regarding student affairs, making it difficult for them to seek help, increasing mental health problems. It also provides information on inadequate training that student affairs staff have, a critical barrier in the fight against mental health issues.
Conclusion
The articles above have shown that mental health is prevalent among college and university students. Although the problem has persisted, it has not been given enough attention to ensure it is solved. This reduces the chances of students seeking help, increasing mental problems. Furthermore, student affairs staff lack adequate knowledge to help them handle students’ mental health problems confidently. Additionally, student affairs have limited resources which poses a significant challenge in managing mental issues. The researcher will focus on how students with mental health problems cope with limited student affairs resources. The researcher will also investigate how little student affairs to handle mental health leads to substance abuse and alcoholism.