SHC.PSU.EDU /PSUSHC @PennStateHonors /PSUSHC

Identifying Mental Health Concerns of Honors Students

KATHLEEN BIESCHKE, INTERIM DEAN

MITCH KIRSCH, ASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

HERU, 2017

GOALS

• All participants will be able to identify common mental health concerns of honors students

• All participants will be able to identify innovative strategies for addressing honors students concerns

OUTLINE• Overview of available data

• SHC efforts to address mental health concerns

• Group discussion and efforts

Available Data• Description of sample

• Students seeking treatment at Penn State’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services in 2016-2017

• Sample size• Honors students: 83• Non-honors students: 1906

• Samples virtually identical in regard to financial distress, race/ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

No differences in distress level based on honors status

Subscales of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-64 (CCAPS-64)

Non-HonorsUndergraduate StudentsMean (SD)

Honors Undergraduate StudentsMean (SD)

Depression 1.67 (1.00) 1.78 (0.90)

Eating Concerns 1.01 (0.87) .97 (0.83)

Substance Use .90 (0.89) .91 (0.91)

Generalized Anxiety 1.68 (0.98) 1.72 (0.89)

Hostility .94 (0.86) .72 (0.64)

Social Anxiety 1.88 (0.98) .80 (1.00)

Family Distress 1.13 (0.94) 1.17 (0.96)

Academic Distress 1.93 (1.01) 1.70 (0.96)

Distress Index 1.70 (.92) 1.75 (0.96)

Honors Status by Suicidal Ideation Frequency

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

1 time 2-3 times 4-5 times More than 5 times Never NA

Non-honors Honors Column1

Distinguishing characteristics of honors students seeking tx?

• No evidence that any of the following factors discriminated between honors students and non-honors students who sought treatment

• Financial stress• Race/ethnicity• Sexual orientation

Take home messages from our data• Distress levels for honors

students seeking treatment are similar to non-honors students.

• University counseling centers are facing unprecedented requests for services.

• Students receiving services are often those who evidence high need (e.g., increased levels of suicidal ideation).

SCHOLARS HELPING SCHOLARShttp://schreyershs.wixsite.com/home

HERU 2017

• Identifying a need – trying to meet it

• Support network of peers• Listening ears• Problem-solvers• Referrals as necessary

HERU 2017• Average stress level on scale of

1-5, with 1=no stress• Causes of stress

Discussion questions

• What are you observing in your honors students relative to mental health?

• What strategies have you utilized to meet your students’ mental health needs?

• What has facilitated your success?• What obstacles have you encountered?