Developing Successful Mental Illness Prevention Efforts on University Campuses: A Local Look Based on the CARES Program at Stanford University

Abstract

There is a well-evidenced trend that the prevalence of youth depression and anxiety is increasing, especially on college campuses. Due to finite university resources directed to student mental health and well-being, mental health prevention efforts are strongly needed to help prevent the onset of mental illness in high risk students and to manage the large numbers of students requesting services. We provide a specific example of CARES, a 3-session program that teaches graduate students practices for sustaining mental resilience and well-being along with relevant local campus resources. Preliminary results from pilot testing our program in 3 graduate departments at Stanford University show an 18% and 7% average increase in resilience and flourishing related outcomes. Our results suggest that even short-term interventions can better support graduate student mental well-being. We hope that some of the insights learned from building this program can guide the implementation of mental illness prevention efforts at other college campuses.