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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?