Abstract
Although college campuses are diversifying rapidly, students of color remain an underserved and understudied group. Online screening and subsequent allocation to treatment represents a pathway to enhancing equity in college student mental health. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems and treatment enrollment within the context of a largescale screening and treatment research initiative on a diverse college campus. The sample was comprised of n = 2090 college students who completed an online mental health screening survey and were offered either free online or face-to-face treatment based on symptom severity as a part of a research study. A series of ordinal, binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were specified to examine racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems, prior treatment receipt, and enrollment in online and face-to-face treatment through the campus-wide research initiative. Racial/ethnic differences in depression, anxiety and suicidality endorsed in the screening survey were identified. Students of color were less likely to have received prior mental health treatment compared to non-Hispanic white students, but were equally likely to enroll in and initiate online and face-to-face treatment offered through the current research initiative. Rates of enrollment in online therapy were comparable to prior studies. Online screening and treatment may be an effective avenue to reaching underserved students of color with mental health needs on college campuses. Digital mental health tools hold significant promise for bridging gaps in care, but efforts to improve uptake and engagement are needed.
Highlights
Mental illness among college students is a public health crisis, with rates of depression and anxiety more than doubling over the past decade
The current study provides preliminary evidence on racial/ ethnic differences in mental health problems, enrollment and initial use of digital and in-person treatment among students who self-selected into a mental health screening and treatment study at a diverse, public four-year university serving a large proportion of students of color
The significant representation of students of color in our sample (73.3%) suggests online screening may be an effective tool for reaching students from historically underserved groups on campus
Summary
Mental illness among college students is a public health crisis, with rates of depression and anxiety more than doubling over the past decade. Despite efforts to respond to increased demand, many campuses lack sufficient resources to support student mental health needs (Watkins et al, 2012). This shortage, compounded by a myriad of barriers to mental health services (e.g. stigma, limited financial resources, lack of time), has left the majority of college students suffering from mental health concerns without treatment (Downs & Eisenberg, 2012; Miranda et al, 2015). Improved understanding of student mental health needs and patterns of service use on diverse college campuses is needed to begin bridging gaps in unmet need for care
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