Journal of American College Health最新文献

Objective. The transition to college is associated with rising rates of depressive symptoms and decreased well-being. It is critical to identify protective psychological factors for this period. One possible protective factor is psychological flexibility, or the ability to pursue self-identified values despite distressing thoughts and emotions. This study examined associations among psychological flexibility components and well-being outcomes in first semester college students. Participants: The sample consisted of 238 diverse first-semester college students recruited from five universities. Method: Using structural equation modeling, we examined associations among three components of psychological flexibility and two dimensions of well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and sense of belonging at college). Results: All three psychological flexibility components were associated with less severe depressive symptoms, but only valued action was associated with higher sense of belonging. Conclusions: Results highlight psychological flexibility as a novel set of resilience factors with differential associations with key outcomes during the transition to college.

Background: College students have cited inconvenience, ease of forgetting, and lack of time as barriers to influenza (flu) vaccine receipt. We hypothesized that "pop-up" clinics and live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) would facilitate delivery and align with preferences of college students. Methods: During the 2023-2024 flu season, undergraduate participants were recruited to receive LAIV at 5 "pop-up" clinics across a large midwestern campus. Individuals who received LAIV were approached to complete a Likert-scale survey asking about their experience. Results: Across all clinics, 337 individuals received LAIV and 129 completed the survey. Respondents reported that "pop-up" clinics decreased barriers to vaccination. Regarding LAIV acceptance, 44.2% noted a preference for LAIV while 46.5% noted no preference between intranasal and injectable vaccines. Importantly, over 27% of students stated they would not have received vaccine without this "pop-up" clinic option. Conclusion(s): "Pop-up" clinics and LAIV effectively alleviate barriers to facilitate flu vaccination for college students.

Objective: This study explores rates and correlates of NSSI and suicidality of women college athletes, taking into consideration sport competition level (i.e., intramural, club, varsity). Participants: Data were drawn from self-identified women college athletes (n = 8,842) who participated in the Healthy Minds Study. Methods: Mental health correlates of NSSI and suicidality were assessed with logistic regression. Results: Approximately 19%-24% of the women college athlete sample reported past-year engagement in NSSI; 8%-10% reported suicidal ideation; 3%-4% reported suicidal planning; and 0.8%-1% reported attempted suicide. Rates of NSSI and suicidal ideation were relatively higher for club sports women college athletes. Clinical mental health concerns, substance use concerns, positive mental health, and interpersonal concerns were correlates of NSSI and suicidality, with variations observed across competition level. Conclusions: Findings spotlight the urgency to intervene in NSSI and suicidality among women college athletes while being informed of demographic, sport, and mental health risk factors.

Objective: To determine the direct and indirect effects of sexual assault on sleep health in varsity athletes.

Participants: Varsity athletes (n = 2,910) who completed the Fall 2019 or 2020 administrations of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment III.

Methods: We combined exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to evaluate relationships between four predictor variables: sexual assault, psychological distress, alcohol use and cannabis use and two response variables: sleep duration and insomnia symptoms.

Results: Overall, 9.6% of women, 5.0% of men, and 34.9% of non-binary student athletes reported experiencing sexual violence in the last 12 months. Across genders, sexual assault was positively associated with insomnia symptoms and negatively associated with sleep duration both directly and indirectly as mediated by mental distress and alcohol use.

Conclusions: When screening for sleep disturbances, as recommended by NCAA, athletic staff should recognize the impact of sexual violence and provide trauma-informed victim support.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated the effects of a semester-long, multi-component positive psychology course on undergraduate well-being, mental health, and physical health. Participants/Methods: Using a quantitative, quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design, participants in the positive psychology course (n = 38) were compared to a control condition (n = 41) on measures of well-being, physical health, and mental health. The positive psychology course included traditional lectures, experiential homework, small group labs, and individual consultations. Results: Positive psychology students reported statistically significant improvement on eight of 17 outcomes, including hope, physical health, positive affect, and friendship support. Conclusions: These results suggest that imbedding small group lab activities and individual consultations may increase effect sizes associated with positive psychology courses. This is only the second study to show positive physical health outcomes. Future research should explore this curricular innovation, include larger samples, random assignment, greater diversity, and follow-up assessments.

Studies have shown that those high in anxiety were at increased risk for alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tension reduction theory points to anxiety sensitivity (AS) as a potential risk factor. Drinking to cope may further increase this risk. During the pandemic, those high in AS may have experienced increased stress and drank to cope, which may have put them at risk for misusing alcohol. Objective: The current study tested the association between AS and alcohol outcomes, mediated by perceived stress and drinking motives, among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants and Methods: Young adults (N = 143) self-reported on AS, perceived stress, drinking motives, and alcohol outcomes (i.e., use and problems). Results: A mediation analysis revealed that AS positively predicted alcohol problems, via coping motives, and positively predicted alcohol use, via perceived stress and enhancement/sociability motives. Conclusion: These results confirm AS-risk for young adult alcohol use during the pandemic and highlight perceived stress and drinking motives as mechanisms of risk.

Objectives: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but the role of contextual factors remains underexplored. Therefore, this study examined the moderating effect of campus climate on associations between ACEs and PTSS and whether effects differ based on racial/ethnic identity.

Participants: University students taking Psychology courses at a large public university in the Northeastern United States (n = 419).

Methods: Participants completed a set of questionnaires assessing socio-demographics, ACEs, campus climate, and PTSS. Moderation analyses were conducted to test hypotheses.

Results: Significant 3-way interaction effects (e.g., ACEs x Campus Climate Subscales x Racial/ethnic Identity) were found for PTSS. Among White students, positive perceptions of campus climates buffered the effects of ACEs on PTSS severity. However, this protective effect was not observed among racial/ethnic minority students.

Conclusions: The findings highlight campus climate as a contextual condition relevant to understanding mental health disparities among college students.

Objective: The present mixed-method study aims to understand the association between sociocultural pressures, disordered eating, and compulsive exercise in men, with body shame as a mediator. Participants: We surveyed 263 U.S. men recruited from a public university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. The majority were White/Caucasian and heterosexual, ages 18-40. Methods: Participants completed measures assessing compulsive exercise, disordered eating, body shame, sociocultural pressures, and answered one open-ended question about their experiences with body image. Results: The results of our study aligned with our hypothesized mediation model: body shame mediated relationships between sociocultural pressures, disordered eating attitudes, and compulsive exercise. Qualitatively, most of the men in our study expressed having felt pressure to change their bodies. Conclusions: Our study aligns with current research and contributes to the need for future research surrounding eating pathology and the shame that leads to such outcomes in men.

Objective: To use egocentric network analysis (ENA) to identify how the role of social networks relates to e-cigarette use among college fraternity members.

Participants: 212 fraternity members participated in this study.

Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between egocentric network variables and ever use and current use of e-cigarettes. Network variables were created based on two relational networks of important and communicative networks.

Results: Seventy-three percent (155/212) of our sample have used an e-cigarette at least once in their lifetime, and 41% (89/212) of our sample currently use e-cigarettes. Important people networks were significantly associated with ever use and current use while communicative networks were not significantly associated with ever use or current use of e-cigarettes among our sample population.

Conclusion: Perceived positive reactions to e-cigarette use by important relationships may be an important factor associated with ever use and e-cigarette use for fraternity members.

Objective: The primary objective of the study was to examine associations between financial stress and self-rated health (mental and physical), with presence of and search for meaning in life as moderator variables. The secondary objective was to examine the association between presence of meaning and self-rated health, with search for meaning as a moderator. Participants and methods: The sample included 166 emerging adults (ages 18-32, mean age 22.55) recruited from a university setting (n = 87) and online platform (n = 79). To examine the proposed moderating effects, two hierarchical multiple regression models were conducted using secondary data. Results: For the primary objective, presence of meaning did not moderate the association between financial stress and self-rated health (mental or physical). Search for meaning strengthened the negative association between financial stress and physical health, exacerbating the negative health impacts associated with financial stress. However, search for meaning did not moderate the association between financial stress and mental health. For the secondary objective, search for meaning moderated the association between presence of meaning and physical health such that a negative presence-physical health association emerged at high levels of search, and a positive presence-physical health association emerged at low levels of search. Conclusion: Presence of meaning was not a protective factor in the association between financial stress and self-rated health, perhaps because average presence of meaning was lower than average search for meaning in this sample. Search for meaning was a risk factor for adverse physical health when financial stress was high or presence of meaning was low. Future research should examine in which contexts (e.g., different stressors, cultures) meaning in life dimensions emerge as risk versus protective factors.