Understanding Student Mental Health Service Needs at IU (Aug 29 - May 17)

The data collection exists as a portion of an overarching IU Mental Health resource awareness campaign. The initial surveillance will serve as a baseline measure to assess a starting point on the current climate, with follow-up surveillance each semester. This information will be used to gauge students’ perceptions regarding accessible and quality mental health resources and services across the Indiana University landscape and to chart how the awareness campaign influences these perceptions of resource accessibility over time.

The Study of College Life and Beyond (Jan 23 - Apr 29)

This proposal is for the refreshment sample component of a National Institutes of Health-funded study. Ten postsecondary institutions participated in the survey last spring, including IU Bloomington. This study focuses on the experiences of young adults on the autism spectrum as they compare to their neurotypical peers. It asks five questions: •How do educational, occupational, and health outcomes vary along the autism spectrum, accounting for comorbid disorders? •Do the outcomes of students on the spectrum differ based on socioeconomic status? •Does the association of autism with outcomes vary by socioeconomic status? •To what extent can the association of autism with outcomes be explained by the association of autism with precollege experiences and college engagements? •How do the experiences of college students on the spectrum differ by institutional characteristics? The study involves longitudinal data collection, following undergraduate students through their time in college and, for some, through their initial transition to the labor market. Data will be used to contribute to empirical and theoretical research on autism and other disabilities and may be used by the institution to inform policies to support students with autism. The spring 2021 data collection in which IUB participated, solicited an initial sample of college students enrolled in that semester. A subsample of those students has been invited to participate in a panel study. In spring 2022 we completed data collection from our first refreshment sample. The current request is for the second refreshment sample: a sample of students new to the institution in spring 2023. These students will then be invited to participate in the panel.