WHO Survey on College Adjustment (Oct 26 - Dec 14)
The aim of the WHO Survey on College Adjustment is to understand the mental health needs of students on campus as well as establish whether an internet-based intervention (ICare) is an acceptable way to reduce the burden of untreated depression/anxiety in our students. One of the primary purposes of the survey will be to give the Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) diagnostic-level prevalence data on depression, generalized anxiety, social anxiety, alcohol, and other substance use disorders. It will provide information on mental disorders not assessed by prior surveys (e.g., mania, panic disorder), as well as other problem behaviors on campus (e.g., difficulty concentrating, sleep problems). It will also inform a decision by the CAPS as to whether to further invest in an online platform for treating depression/anxiety. The treatment opportunity that comes with the survey will help CAPS reduce the burden of untreated mental disorders as well as long waiting times in the student population. Analyses of the results of the survey will also inform prevention efforts and future interventions (e.g., investment for online treatment of disorders other than depression/generalized anxiety) by CAPS as well as other entities on campus (e.g., the LGBTQ+ Center, Office of International Services). This includes the identification of specific at-risk student groups. Finally, the results will also help identify gaps in the treatment of certain disorders and subpopulations. The survey is supported by the Health Center, the Dean of Students, the Office of International Services, and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS). The survey is part of a collaboration with the WHO World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) Initiative, an international partnership to assess the mental health needs of students across 19 countries. The Initiative aims to collect demographic and clinical data that can be used to predict mental disorders as well as engagement with internet-based treatment options, and response to treatment. Access to the WMH-ICS data will allow us to compare IUB students to students worldwide, to identify campus-specific problems. Additionally, the large-scale dataset will allow for the creating of algorithms to help triage students to the level of care at CAPS that may be most appropriate to them (e.g., waiting vs. internet CBT vs. a more intensive treatment option). Approximately 75% of all mental disorders have their onsets prior to the age of 24, and these early-onset cases are related to poorer clinical and functional outcomes than later-onset cases (Kessler et al., 2007). There is evidence that the prevalence of depression and anxiety is increasing in college sample (Gallagher, 2008, Mackenzie et al., 2011), underscoring the need to treat these specific disorders. The college years are also associated with a significant increase in risky health behaviors, such as inconsistent sleep and eating schedules and excessive alcohol/cannabis use. Collectively, these mental disorders and risky behaviors are associated with low academic attainment (Bruffaerts et al., 2018). Moreover, depression, anxiety and other disorders have been associated with college attrition (Auerbach et al., 2016). Thus, this collective effort represents an important step towards understanding, and attempting to reduce, the public health burden of mental illness in our student body.
