Stress, Mental Health Symptoms, and Help-Seeking in College Students

Abstract

College students show low rates of help-seeking behavior despite being at risk for experiencing stressors and mental health problems. The present study aimed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between different stressors, mental health, and help-seeking behavior among college students. An online survey distributed locally and nationally asked college students aged 18 to 24 (n = 564) about their stressors, mental health symptoms, and past and current help-seeking behavior. A factor analysis suggested that college students experience stress in four domains: intrapersonal, interpersonal, performance, and financial. Regression analyses revealed that intrapersonal and interpersonal stress predicted anxiety and depression in both women and men (p < .001), whereas performance stress predicted anxiety and depression in women (p < .001) but not men. Financial stress was not related to mental health symptoms in either gender. Regarding help seeking, 37.5% of women and 16% of men had received help for a mental health problem, although none of the men and only 5.8% of the women were currently receiving counseling or therapy. Help-seekers reported significantly higher levels of performance (p = .007, d = 0.25), interpersonal (p < .001, d = 0.54), and intrapersonal stress (p < .001, d = 0.65), as well as more eating problems (p < .001, d = 0.34), anxiety (p < .001, d = 0.78), and depression (p < .001, d = 0.72). These results suggest the need for colleges to consider new ways of identifying at-risk students and encouraging those students to seek help. This article is proudly published in support of the #Help_HelpedMe Initiative. Learn more at https://doi. org/10.24839/2325-7342. JN23.1.2 https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN23.4.293