Journal of American College Health最新文献

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the factors associated with vaccine compliance and the effectiveness of short-term video interventions on COVID-19 vaccine perceptions among students attending a state university located in rural Texas. Participants: A total of 298 students participated in an online survey. Methods: Students completed the COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Scale (COVID-VAC) and Perceptions of Vaccines Scale before and after watching one of three videos (neutral, educational, or disease effects). Results: Differences in vaccination status were observed for ethnicity and political leanings (p < 0.05). The video interventions did not impact COVID-VAC or Perceptions of Vaccines scores over time (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Short-term video interventions were ineffective in altering vaccine perceptions and improving acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in our study population. Impact of the type and duration of educational videos should be explored by future studies to combat vaccine hesitancy in future population-based studies.

Objective: Graduate students are at higher risk of mental illness, and support and belongingness during graduate school are linked to greater resiliency. This study compared perceived functional support and belongingness between underrepresented graduate students (e.g., non-heterosexual, non-White, non-American citizens, or those with chronic conditions) and majority group graduate students (e.g., heterosexual, White, American citizens, or those without chronic conditions). Participants: 734 graduate students from a large, Midwestern university. Methods: A survey assessed perceived functional support and belongingness, and differences between underrepresented and majority groups were analyzed. Results: Underrepresented students reported less support and feelings of belongingness compared to majority group students. Conclusion: Universities can enhance resiliency and reduce stress among underrepresented students by improving functional support and belongingness. Recommendations are provided.

Objective: Condomless sex and its related consequences are a persistent problem on college campuses in the United States. This study aimed to examine the association between condom use self-efficacy and condom-decision abdication among college students, and whether this association was moderated by gender.

Participants & methods: Undergraduate college students (N = 212; 50.5% female) were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk as part of a larger online study that examined normative feedback for condom use.

Results: The association between condom use self-efficacy and condom-decision abdication was significantly moderated by gender (B = -0.07, p < .001), such that condom use self-efficacy was associated with condom-decision abdication in college women (B = -0.05, p < .005) but not in college men (B = .02, p = .18).

Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that condom use self-efficacy may be an important intervention target for promoting condom use.

Objective: The present study's aim was to examine the effect of fitspiration on body dissatisfaction and exercise motivation in female Division I athletes compared to non-Division I athletes.

Participants: Participants consisted of 197 female Division I athletes (n = 102) and non-athletes (n = 95).

Methods: Participants were randomized into a fitspiration (viewing fitspiration images) or a control group (viewing travel images) and completed measures of body dissatisfaction and exercise motivation pre- and post-exposure to the images.

Results: Regardless of athletic status, participants in the fitspiration group had increased body dissatisfaction, and participants in the control group had decreased body dissatisfaction. However, non-athletes had increased exercise motivation compared to athletes, regardless of image group.

Conclusions: Fitspiration should be consumed with caution due to its negative effects on body dissatisfaction for both athletes and non-athletes, but exposure to fitspiration or travel images may increase exercise motivation in non-athletes.

The present study examined the role of proximal and distal stress, as well as social connection on college student socioemotional health. Students were enrolled in a large-scale, digital phenotyping study of well-being at a large US university (45% engineering students). The present analyses were estimated using self-report data from the 2021 spring academic term. Students completed a baseline survey querying about major life events (MLE) and 9 weekly surveys capturing stress, social connection, mental health, and affect. Multilevel modeling tested whether current mental health and affect could be accounted for by separate and interacting influences of within-person fluctuations in stress, between-person stress differences, social connection, and MLE. Elevation in stress from week-to-week and across students exacerbated emotional struggles. Boosts in social connection across students attenuated emotional struggles. Effective stress management particularly through social connection, may be important enough to overshadow variation in outcomes due to earlier events in life associated with negative outcomes.

Objective: The objective of the study was to improve models of mental health outcomes for Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) undergraduates (n = 48,516). Participants: Participants were Asian American, NHOPI, and White undergraduate adult students in the United States. Methods: Using data from the national 2018-2019 Healthy Minds Study,¹ depression, anxiety and psychological well-being were analyzed using multivariate logistic and linear regression models. Both additive and interactive model assumptions for race and gender were tested. Results: 1) Compared to White students, Asian Americans experienced depression and psychological well-being disparities and NHOPIs experienced marginal depression disparities; 2) Asian American and NHOPI students experienced different health inequities compared to Whites, and 3) modeling race and gender using interactions did not significantly improve model fit for depression, anxiety, or psychological well-being. Conclusions: Mental health disparities among Asian American and NHOPI undergraduates should be further studied to facilitate mental health promotion and prevention.

Objective: To investigate patterns of campus sexual misconduct prevention education and response coordination. Participants: Administrative staff from the campus health and wellness and the campus safety and security sectors were recruited from 830 institutions of higher education (IHEs). Methods: Each sector received a separate web-based survey module. Recipients were encouraged to consult with colleagues within their sector to provide responses. Latent class analyses of eight indicators of campus policies and protocols, as reported by the surveyed administrative staff, were conducted. Results: Analyses revealed a three-class model describing IHEs with Cross-Cutting Policies (inclusive of education and training, supported by SART/Taskforces; 63%), Prevention Education and Training Policies only (34%), or SART/Taskforces only (3%). Administrative staff from both sectors provided consistent information about protocols related to sexual misconduct prevention and response on a given campus. A majority of IHEs reported at least some prevention education as well as staff participation in coordinated response teams. Conclusion: Sexual misconduct prevention education and response coordination is reasonably widespread, and about half of IHEs reported coordination among response teams. Because sexual misconduct remains a significant problem, these structural protocols would appear to require refinement within a broader ecological approach.

Branch campus students are an often-overlooked population in higher education, with their mental health and well-being notably absent from academic discourse. This commentary aims to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by these students and advocates for their inclusion in the broader discussion on student mental health and well-being. The article reviews the definition and characteristics of branch campuses, provides a rationale for increased focus on these campuses, and concludes with practical recommendations. These actionable strategies require minimal financial and time investment and call for changes in how research on college students is conducted and published to ensure the inclusion of branch campus students.

Objective: Examining the association between mental health and traumatic stress from COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Participants: 402 international students studying at a large public university in north-eastern U.S.A. Methods: Online survey was conducted anonymously among the participants. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted. Results: The results indicated that the international students may experience traumatic stress from COVID-19 if their mental health is not cared well, and perceived stress and risk of being infected by COVID-19 mediates this relationship. Conclusions: Universities need to respond to potential traumatic stress among international students from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, especially for those with a vulnerable mental health status. For a future pandemic, perceived stress and risk for the infection can be managed to minimize the traumatic stress among international students.

Objective: College students are mandated to have health insurance in many universities in the United States. All students must comprehend insurance concepts to maximize their benefits. This study compared the level of health insurance literacy and information access problems between international and domestic graduate students. Participants: Thirty graduate students (15 domestic and 15 international) in a major public university in the United States were interviewed. Method: Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews in person or via Zoom. Using thematic analysis, audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Results: Findings indicate that both groups possessed inadequate knowledge about health insurance with domestic students exhibiting a better understanding of deductibles, hospital networks, and co-pays. The major challenge encountered was a lack of clarity on the websites of their university's health insurance and other health insurance providers. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for student-targeted educational interventions to improve their healthcare access.