Quantitative data is important for any social issue because it tracks and records public opinion through surveys, clinical practices, and data sets. For my quantitative analysis, I will be examining the results of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health 2018 – 2019 Annual Report (1) compiled by Penn State University. 163 college and university counseling centers participated totaling in 207,818 students and 4,059 clinicians participating, This report specifically focuses on the students that actually utilize their campus resources, rather than the general college population. The following information was not compiled through an individual survey, but through “routine clinical practice at participating counseling centers, de-identified, then contributed to CCMH.” (2)
The graph above illustrates how counseling centers at smaller colleges tend to be more utilized and seem to have a greater need compared to those at larger colleges. This can be for various reasons. Because of the large size of the campus, some students may not be aware of their campus’ offerings or even where their counseling center is located. For smaller campuses, their students may know all the main offices or they may be altogether in one building.
The graph above demonstrates how counseling centers that experience a smaller need, were reported to be treating students in higher mental distress. This may be because when there is a lesser need or utilization on the campus, the students that do utilize it, might be experiencing a higher level of mental stress compared to their peers. At these same schools that are experiencing lesser mental health support among the greater student population, this may in fact benefit those with higher levels of mental stress because there will be more services and staff available to them.
According to the report, “the national average rate of counseling center utilization is 11.8%, ranging from <1% to more than 40% (AUCCCD Directors Annual Survey, 2018), suggesting some level of unmet need within the college student population.” (3)
Aside from awareness, mental health stigma is another prevalent issue in society. Stigma is not only found on college campuses nor does it exist on every college campus, however, but students may also experience elsewhere, such as with their friends or their family. The report stated that prior to college, 44% of students were found to have never attended counseling for any mental health concerns. (4) This may not necessarily mean that the students that did not seek services, were in. actual need of them, however, it can be inferred that a percentage of them may not have sought services due to stigma
A section of the report also included statistics on self-harm for the year. For students that reported they had self-harmed at least once, 36% said that it was within the last 1-5 years. (5) It is important for students to be taught healthy coping skills at a young age, but it is even more important for them to feel safe enough to seek help which with this statistic demonstrates since all the students that contributed to this study were already in counseling services.
Mental health disorders come in all different shapes and sizes and as the numbers rise for those that are effected by mental health, it is important for individuals, especially college students, to have an environment where they can seek advice and comfort during the diffiicult
References:
- Center for Collegiate Mental Health. (2020, January). 2019 Annual Report (Publication No. STA 20- 244).
- Ibid., 4.
- ibid., 7.
- Ibid., 27.
- ibid., 27.
- Ibid., 29.
