Category: Strategic Planning

From the Wall Street Journal, December 2014:

Apparent Suicide of Ohio State Football Player Comes Amid a Push for Better Care of Student-Athletes –
In the wake of the apparent suicide of Ohio State football player Kosta Karageorge, what does the NCAA need to do to ensure players the adequate mental health services?

Click here to read the full article through a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.

A new study at 10 community colleges across the nation reveals that half of the more than 4,000 community college students surveyed are experiencing a current or recent mental health condition. Less than half of these students are receiving any mental health services. Students age 25 and younger are especially likely to have an untreated mental health condition. As mental illness can impair academic success and quality of life, there is a clear need for greater attention to and resources for mental health services and programs on community college campuses.

Click here to read the full report from Wisconsin HOPE Lab in March 2016.

A technical package is a collection of strategies that represents the best available evidence to prevent or reduce public health problems like suicide. This package from the CDC highlights 7 strategies to prevent suicide:

• Strengthen economic supports

• Strengthen access and delivery of suicide care

• Create protective environments

• Promote connectedness

• Teach coping and problem-solving skills

• Identify and support people at-risk

• Lessen harms and prevent future risk

The strategies are intended to work in combination and reinforce each other. Their implementation requires a collective effort across sectors. The technical package describes the approaches to advance each strategy and the evidence behind them. The strategies in the technical package support the goals and objectives of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s goal to reduce the annual rate of suicide by 20% by 2025.

Click here to view the full technical package from the CDC.

Abstract

For this study, we examined the relationship between counseling experience and college students’ academic performance and retention in a sample of 10,009 college freshmen and transfer students. The results indicated that counseling experience is significantly associated with student retention: students receiving counseling services were more likely to stay enrolled in school. However, counseling experience was not related to academic performance when controlling for precollege academic performance (i.e., high school GPA, and verbal and math SAT scores). In addition, students seeking both individual and group counseling showed better academic performance than the students who received other service types.

Click here to access the full article through your institution’s access through Project MUSE.

Abstract

This study explored the impact of counseling on academic progress and retention, using both objective and self-reported measures from records of counseling clients (n = 2,365) and the general student body (n = 67,026) during 6 years at a Western state university. Among the findings: Counseled students showed superior retention compared to peers.

Click here to access the full article through your institution’s access to the Web of Science Core Collection.

Abstract

Click here to access the full article through your institution’s access to Wiley Online Library.

This chapter, adapted from JED and EDC’s Campus Mental Health Action Planning (CampusMHAP) guide, provides additional information about supporting the mental wellness of all students on your campus. To read a copy of the chapter, click the link below:

Mental health care in the college community – Using A Public Health Approach to Address Student Mental Health

In this study, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin contend for the entire administrative structure of a university “to become engaged with the problem of suicidality and to implement policies and programs to reduce suicide by intervening at all points…” This study will demonstrate evidence for implementing campus-wide engagement in promoting mental health and suicide prevention measures.

You can purchase the full article by clicking here.

This primer is a detailed report on student mental health issues with the focus on launching national conversation and citing examples of best practices that contribute to student wellness. It also frames the issue of mental health as a learning and academic success issue.

Abstract:

This report (2014) is the product of a year-long partnership between NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the American Council on Education, and the American Psychological Association focusing on student mental health issues. Co-authored by Louise Douce and Richard Keeling, and responding in part to President Obama’s call to launch a national conversation to increase the understanding and awareness about mental health, the partnering organizations, in collaboration with the lead authors, advisory committee, editorial group, and the organizations and institutions they represent, reviewed trends in college student mental health and sought out examples of practice that contribute to student well-being. We know that mental health continues to impact students in course learning and campus engagement. It is our collective hope that through increased awareness and collaboration, institutions of higher education can continue to serve all students and support their learning and development.

Click here to access the full report.

From the Harvard Health Policy Review (Spring 2012), this article provides an excellent summary of the JED Comprehensive Approach and details how Cornell University, a JED Campus School has utilized it in their work.

Abstract:

The growing mental health needs of students at colleges and universities continue to garner considerable attention as well as challenge institutions of higher education (IHEs) regarding how to respond. Providing access to mental health services on campus is one key component to responding to these issues,however, it is not sufficient. An effective response requires a broader public health approach that focuses on reducing the risk of suicide and promoting mental health for the entire student population. This article will examine various public health approaches to suicide prevention and mental health promotion and will outline Cornell University’s broad-based framework applicable to any IHE.

Click here to view the full article.

The Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP) is an example of a sustained community-based effort that directly addresses suicide as a public health problem. The AFSPP is also the basis of the JED Comprehensive Approach.  Although much is known about risk factors for suicide, there are few examples of multifaceted, sustainable programs for reducing morbidity and mortality attributable to suicide and suicidal behaviors. The AFSPP has been found to have achieved significant relative risk reductions of rates of suicide and other violence related outcomes, including accidental death and domestic violence.

Click here to view the full article.