Journal of American College Health最新文献

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown disrupted daily life and was related to increased mental health problems across the developmental spectrum, including for emerging adults. Understanding factors that contribute to adjustment during such national crises is critical, and attachment theory may provide a valuable framework for doing so. Participants & Methods: In the current study, 441 U.S. college students completed an online survey of their attachment internal working models (IWMs), anger and depressive rumination, and the psychological impact of COVID-19. Results: More secure IWMs of the mother-child relationship were indirectly associated with lower psychological impact of the pandemic through lower anger and depressive rumination. Although more secure IWMs of the father-child relationship were associated with lower depressive rumination, there were no indirect associations with the impact of the pandemic. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the utility of attachment theory for understanding the impact of national crises and have implications for preparing and assisting populations at risk.

Objective: We examined whether meaningful subgroups of self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) would emerge within a pool of first-year college students already deemed at elevated risk. Participants: First-year undergraduates (N = 1,068) recruited in 2015-2018 Fall terms. Methods: Past-year nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequency, past-year number of NSSI methods used, lifetime suicide attempt (SA) history, and recency of SA were included in a latent profile analysis. Results: Four subgroups emerged: low SIB (n = 558, 52%), high NSSI only (n = 182, 17%), high SIB (n = 141, 13%), and high SA only (n = 187, 18%). Students in the high SIB group reported higher levels of suicidal ideation at baseline and follow-up in comparison to all groups. Those in the high NSSI only or high SIB groups had relatively higher levels of NSSI at baseline and follow-up. Conclusions: Findings highlight the amount of heterogeneity within a high-risk group, along with the importance of considering distal and proximal SIBs in university screening efforts.

Objective: Picky eating, which occurs in emerging adulthood and is associated with psychological distress and quality of life, has historically been conceptualized as unidimensional despite research suggesting it is a multifaceted construct. Participants: An undergraduate sample (N = 509; M_age = 19.96). Methods: A cross-sectional survey assessed picky eating facets (food variety, meal disengagement, meal presentation, and taste aversion), disordered eating, anxiety, depression, stress, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and social phobia symptoms, and quality of life. Results: Meal disengagement was uniquely related to higher anxiety, depression, stress, and social phobia symptoms and lower quality of life, whereas meal presentation was uniquely related to higher anxiety, stress, and OCD symptoms, beyond covariates and disordered eating. Food variety and taste aversion were not uniquely related to outcomes. Conclusions: Considering picky eating multidimensionally may yield important insights beyond the broader construct in terms of its relationship with psychological well-being in undergraduates.

Objective: The prevalence of mental health symptoms on university campuses is high and rising, resulting in detrimental effects on academic performance. Few resources exist to address the needs of students who must leave school for mental health reasons. Participants: Seeking to understand the effect of a college reentry program (NITEO) to assist students in reengaging with undergraduate studies, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with all college coaches (N = 5), triangulating our findings with interviews of NITEO students (N = 31). Methods: We used a rapid and focused ethnographic approach with thematic and content analysis using NVivo software. Results: Two major themes arose from our analyses affirming the role of the college coach in (1) developing a strong working alliance as a foundation for coaching; (2) promoting self-determination. Conclusions: Programs that enable students with mental health conditions who have dropped out to reenter college are needed; college coaching can be an effective approach.

College is a big adjustment for students, and it doesn't come without its challenges, including being in a new place with new responsibilities. It is a stressful time that presents new obstacles and frustrations that can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges. As students engage on campus and return to in-person classes, it is vital for university faculty to create activities that promote positive thinking and increase self-confidence in these young learners. Faculty mentorship combined with the development of self-care activities are vital techniques to train students how to cope effectively throughout college and life.

Objective: to synthesize peer-reviewed research exploring postsecondary instructors' experiences with undergraduate students with mental health (MH) symptoms.

Methods: English-language, peer-reviewed primary research articles published between 2010 and 2021 were included. Themes and subthemes were analyzed.

Results: Ten articles met criteria. Three themes emerged: Instructor Actions in the Moment, with subthemes Talking with Students, Making Referrals, and Doing Nothing; Processing the Complex Emotional Impact, with subthemes Caring and Confidence, Powerlessness and Apprehension, Struggle with Boundaries, and Worry about Safety; and Needs Unmet by the Institution, with subthemes Wanted Disclosure, Wanted MH Training, Wanted Clear Policies, Wanted Institutional Support, and Wanted Robust Campus Counseling Services. Lack of resources was the major reported impediment.

Conclusions: Several implications for institutions emerge. MH education should be provided for instructors. Institutions should ensure MH policies are clear and easily accessible. Institutions should acknowledge instructors' efforts with students. Finally, training on applicable laws surrounding student MH should be available.

Objective: Cyber dating violence (CDV) is prevalent among emerging adults and could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, limited research has been conducted on potential mitigating (or exacerbating) factors, such as the use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CER). The present study examined whether CER strategies mediate the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Participants: Among a sample of 598 college students, the present study focuses on those who reported past-year CDV (56%; N = 335). Methods: An online survey was completed by college students to assess CDV, CER, and PTSD using validated self-report measures. Results: CDV was bivariately correlated with PTSD symptoms as well as adaptive and maladaptive CER. Within a mediation model, maladaptive (but not adaptive) CER mediated the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Conclusions: CDV is common among college students. Targeting maladaptive CER, such as self-blame and rumination, could lead to reductions in PTSD symptoms.

Objective: Define microbiological characteristics of pathogens causing lower urinary tract infections (LUTI), frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) or Neisseria gonorrhea (GC), and accuracy of self-diagnosis by college women with LUTI symptoms. Participants: Sexually active women with LUTI symptoms attending a large south-eastern university. Methods: Participants completed a 15-question Qualtrics™ survey, provided urine for urinalysis and culture and a self-collected vaginal swab for CT/GC testing. Results: Escherichia coli grew in 72.3% of cultures. Cultures showed 49.1% growing ≥10⁵ and 46.1% between 10⁴ and 10⁵ colony forming units/mL (CFU/mL). Most pathogens (94.6%) were sensitive to nitrofurantoin. Three participants were positive for CT and the LUTI self-diagnosis accuracy was 72.0%. Conclusions: Escherichia coli was the primary uropathogen. Cultures with ≥10⁴ CFU/mL identified 95.2% of LUTIs, and nitrofurantoin is the empiric drug of choice. CT is rarely identified in this population and college women are accurate making a self-diagnosis of LUTI.

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: Stress among college students contributes to and results from poor sleep. We created a brief, remotely-delivered sleep hygiene intervention and tested whether it improved sleep hygiene and reduced sleep disturbance and stress, compared to a sleep education control condition. Participants: We studied 108 racially/ethnically diverse undergraduates (76.9% females, 18.5% males, 1.9% nonbinary, 1.9% prefer not to disclose). Methods: Baseline and two-week follow-up questionnaires assessed sleep hygiene, sleep disturbance, and perceived stress. ANCOVAs compared intervention and control conditions at follow-up; mediation analyses explored whether the intervention reduced stress through improved sleep. Results: Compared to controls, the intervention improved sleep hygiene and sleep disturbance (both p < .001, η_p² = 0.21, large effects) and lowered stress (p = .006, η_p² = 0.07, medium effect). Mediation analyses suggest that the intervention reduced stress via improved sleep hygiene and disturbance. Conclusions: Brief, remotely-delivered, sleep hygiene training decreases undergraduates' stress, perhaps by improving their sleep hygiene and sleep quality.