Research Blog #4: Research Proposal

Working Title: Mental Health: A Growing Epidemic Among College Students

Topic

For my paper, I will be researching several topics involving mental health. The main topic I will be focusing on is mental health and stress problems in college. I will also be including the issues that first generation students face when it comes to mental health. I will also be looking into the different resources (or lack of resources) for mental health, and the growing epidemic of mental health challenges on college campuses. As a college student, it is a very important issue to look at because we are all experiencing these issues whether it be personally or we have a friend that is going through it. The government has also started to get involved in this growing problem, which makes it even more important to explore. 

Research Question

How is college affecting students’ mental health, in particular the mental health of first-generation students? What resources do schools have to help these students that are experiencing mental health challenges? Why are mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, at an all time high? 

Theoretical Frame

In the literature review, Mental Health and Academic Performance of First-Generation College Students and Continuing Generation College Students, Melissa Becerra looks at a variety of studies that focus on the problem of mental health issues facing first-generation students. Beccerra tells us that although there is still a lot of research to be done on this topic, the research that has been done shows that first-generation students are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, more stress, and lower levels of life satisfaction. These students do not know how to go about getting the support they need and often times, can not afford it. Even continuing generation students struggle to find the mental health support they need. Mental health has become such a growing topic in America, that colleges are unable to keep up with providing support to their students. 

Case(s) or Examples

The same literature review can be used when looking at examples and different statistics. For example, Becerra tells us “Empirical work that addresses symptoms of depression includes the survey method by Stebleton, Soria, & Huesman (2014), which claimed that “first-generation students at large public research universities reported higher levels of depression/stress on average compared with continuing generation students’ (p.13)” (Becerra 7). This finding is very beneficial in my research. Not only does it tell us that first-generation students report higher depression and stress levels, but it also shows us that we need to start making a step forward in order to solve this growing issue. 

Another great source I found with examples is from the National Council on Disability. They wrote a whole study and addressed it to the president stating that something must be done. This organization's focus was on mental health in general and found that there is a college campus mental health crisis going on in the United States. They noted that, “students with mental health disabilities who do not receive assistance are not as academically successful as their peers, with lower GPAs and higher dropout rates; however, when students get support, they are successful”(US Congress 15). This finding makes it clear that mental health is an issue which is greatly affecting students' lives. Students are going to college to follow a path they want and to become successful. But, often times when students enter college, they are unable to handle the stress and it impacts their performance. The main way students can succeed when struggling with a mental illness is by seeking help. Lately, it has been found that “colleges are struggling to provide adequate mental health services and support for students with mental health disabilities due largely to increased number of students with mental health challenges attending college and a lack of financial resources” (US Congress, 16). This is clearly an issue that America is facing because if students are unable to get the support they need, there is no way they will be able to succeed. 

Bibliography

Becerra, M. (2017). Mental Health and Academic Performance of First-Generation College Students and Continuing-Generation College Students. UC Merced: Library. Retrieved From https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4691k02z

Castillo, Linda G., and Seth J. Schwartz. “Introduction to the Special Issue on College Student Mental Health.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 69, no. 4, Apr. 2013, pp. 291–97, doi:10.1002/jclp.21972.

Hunt, Justin, and Daniel Eisenberg. “Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior Among College Students.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 46, no. 1, 2010, pp. 3–10., doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008.

Iarovici, Doris. Mental Health Issues and the University Student. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.

United States, Congress, “Mental Health on College Campuses: Investments, Accommodations Needed to Address Student Needs.” Mental Health on College Campuses: Investments, Accommodations Needed to Address Student Needs, National Council on Disability, 2017.