Journal of American College Health最新文献

Objective: To examine how time spent on handheld screens was related to internalizing mental health symptoms in college students and whether time spent in nature was associated with fewer mental health symptoms. Participants: Three hundred seventy-two college students (M_age = 19.47 ± 1.74, 63.8% female; 62.8% college freshman). Methods: College students completed questionnaires for research credit in their psychology courses. Results: Screen time significantly predicted higher anxiety, depression, and stress. Spending time outdoors ("green time") significantly predicted lower stress and depression, but not lower anxiety. Green time moderated the relationship, such that college students who spent less time outside (1SD below mean) had consistent rates of mental health symptoms across hours of screentime, but individuals who spent average/above average (mean, 1SD above mean) time outside had fewer mental health symptoms at lower levels of screentime. Conclusions: Promoting green time in students may be an effective way of improving stress and depression.

Objective: Determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the changes in training, sleep, diet, and mental health of cross-country runners. Participants: Cross-country runners from NCAA Division II institutes. Methods: Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed to analyze survey responses to ordinal questions on the survey while Spearman's rank correlation analysis (ρ) was used to calculate correlation between after the start of pandemic questions. Data was marked significant at p < 0.05. Results: Analysis of the survey responses revealed that cross-country runners were more likely to experience feelings of depression (p < 0.001), lack of motivation (p < 0.001), and higher daily stress (p < 0.001) after the start of the pandemic. After the start of the pandemic, runners running less days per week were more likely to report an increased feeling of depression (ρ=-0.315, p = 0.008) and lack of motivation (ρ=-0.458, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study underscores the importance of training, sleep, diet, and mental health amongst cross-country runners.

Participants: 286 college-attending emerging adults (M_age= 20, SD_age = 1.40) participated in the current study.

Methods: Path models linking evaluation of Trump's leadership ability (pre-election) to psychological well-being (approx. 100 days in office) via election distress (presidential inauguration) were computed.

Results: Reporting lower confidence in Trump's leadership ability prior to the election was associated with greater election distress 3 months post-election, and in turn, poorer psychological well-being 6 months post-election.

Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of centering college students' well-being within a broader sociopolitical context.

Objective: Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, and trends in social vaping behaviors are developing. The current study describes and explains how communication surrounding vaping shapes different aspects of a college student's identity.

Participants: Twenty-seven male and female college students at a large Midwestern university were recruited to participate in five focus groups.

Methods: Focus group findings were interpreted through the lens of the communication theory of identity.

Results: College students' communication of identity was manifest in the personalization of vaping devices, selling vaping devices as a relational activity, the social aspects of vaping addiction, the facetious language surrounding vaping, and perceptions of vaping tricks as "cringe."

Conclusions: The findings revealed narrow perceptions of acceptable identities for users of vaping devices. Participants avoided labels of "being addicted" and leveraged discursive strategies such as humor, facetious language, othering, and re-framing behavior to fit a desirable identity.

Objectives: The current study explored whether social support received from either mediated or in-person contact varied among international students depending on the level of social ties (stronger/weaker) with existing support groups. This study also examined whether in-person or computer mediated social support (CMSS) is a better predictor of acculturative stress which might influence mental health of international students. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 179 international students across three U.S. universities. Results: Results showed that international students perceive stronger online social ties compared to in-person social ties, t(125)=- 3.57, p < .001. Stronger ties with CMSS significantly negatively influence acculturative stress compared to in-person social support for international students, (b = -0.24, 95% CI [-0.45, -0.03]). This indicates that as CMSS increases, acculturative stress decreases among international students. Conclusions: This study concludes that online social support groups can positively influence mental health of college student populations, particularly those who feel stressed out.

This study investigated the effects of a 6-week activity course on health and well-being in untrained college students. Twenty-two participants (ages 18-23) engaged in either badminton or soccer twice a week. Using Badminton World Federation (BWF) Shuttle Time Lesson Plans, both groups showed significant improvements in the quadrant jump and standing long jump tests, with badminton participants demonstrating greater gains in the quadrant jump. In addition, Resilience levels increased in both groups and exercise self-efficacy saw a larger rise in the soccer class. The data suggested that badminton might improve agility more due to the need for rapid direction changes in a smaller court. Further, university activity classes could enhance both physical and mental well-being, though prior soccer experience and limited badminton court access may boost self-efficacy more in soccer participants. Lastly, BWF Shuttle Time Lesson Plans proved effective for introducing badminton to beginners.

Objective: Hispanic/Latine college students are increasingly at high risk to experience self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs). This brief report examined SITB prevalence rates among a national sample of Hispanic/Latine college students, with specificity to sub-group characteristics. Participants: Hispanic college students across 139 institutions from a national survey of college student mental health (Healthy Minds Study) in the US (N = 12,499). Methods: The present cross-sectional, secondary data analysis examines prevalence rates of SITBs by sub-group characteristics (nativity, heritage, documentation status, other socio-demographics) using chi-square analyses and standardized residuals. Results: Younger (18-24 years old; p < 0.001), US-Born (p < 0.001), gender expansive/transgender (p < 0.001), and financially stressed (p < 0.001) Hispanic/Latine college students report higher rates of SITBs overall. Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of examining overlapping and intersecting identities that can inform prevention efforts for the Hispanic/Latine student population in the US. Policy and institution-level recommendations for resource allocation and tailored prevention strategies are discussed.

Objective: There are well-documented health disparities among sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals generally, but there is limited research investigating the disparities in health-related lifestyle factors and mental health among LGBTQ+ graduate students, which is a group that may be especially vulnerable.

Participants: This project was a secondary analysis of data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment's (NCHA) Fall 2019 wave, which included 7,766 graduate students.

Methods: Students self-reported engagement in health-related lifestyle factors and psychological distress. Welch's independent samples t-tests were used to compare differences in psychological distress and lifestyle behaviors and multiple linear regression models were used to test lifestyle factors as predictors of LGBTQ+ psychological distress.

Results: LGBTQ+ graduate students reported worse lifestyle profiles compared to their peers and greater psychological distress. Sleep quality had the strongest association with psychological distress among LGBTQ+ graduate students.

Conclusions: These findings have important implications for policies and interventions to improve health and decrease suffering in LGBTQ+ graduate students.

Objective: The current study investigated how tipping points, a phenomenon in which an individual's threshold for perceiving a change has been exceeded, may be asymmetrical between self-tipping points and those applied to others and how experiences with alcohol affect these judgments. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 300). Methods: Participants reported their drinking frequency, quantity, and parental alcohol use, and evaluated tipping points by assessing how many drinks over the course of how many days they would perceive as problematic alcohol use in an online survey. Results: Participants, on average, reported lower tipping points indicative of problematic drinking behaviors for themselves, as compared to their peers. Results also revealed that quantity of alcohol consumption as well as parental alcohol use and participant age contributed to determining problematic consumption tipping points. Conclusions: Considerations should be given to how these tipping point judgments may affect drinking behaviors. Additionally, there is evidence that current consumption may cloud these judgments.

Objectives: The purpose is to examine the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), protective factors, and select maladaptive coping behaviors in postsecondary students. Participants: Undergraduate students attending Dalhousie University. Methods: An online anonymous survey was conducted. Zero order one-tailed correlations were computed to measure relationships between ACEs, levels of maladaptive coping behaviors and protective factors. A structural equation mediation model examined direct and indirect pathways between measures. Results: 42.5% of respondents (n = 327) reported ≥3ACEs. Higher ACEs were associated with higher expression of maladaptive coping behaviors. Respondents with high ACEs and low levels of protective factors reported lower levels of hope and forgiveness and higher levels of stress and rumination. Conclusion: Higher levels of protective factors were associated with lower levels of maladaptive coping behaviors in students with high ACEs.