scholarly journals Sense of Belonging and Social Climate in an Official Language Minority Post-Secondary Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 26-39
Author(s):  
Kailey Penner ◽  
Danielle De Moissac ◽  
Rhéa Rocque ◽  
Florette Giasson ◽  
Kevin Prada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
International Students ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Language Minority ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Official Language Minority ◽  
Post Secondary Students

Perceived sense of belonging and positive social climate on campus are crucial elements for post-secondary students, as they contribute to academic achievement, positive mental health, and help-seeking. Few studies have explored post-secondary students’ sense of belonging and perceptions of social climate in an official language minority campus, which attract Canadian-born francophones, anglophones who pursue higher education in their second language, and francophone international students. With declining student mental health and greater ethnolinguistic diversity of post-secondary students on Canadian campuses, this important study aims to explore francophone students’ perceived sense of belonging and social climate on campus. In total, 35 students from different ethnolinguistic backgrounds took part in focus groups or individual interviews. Domestic students with French as their first language more often reported positive social climate on campus and a sense of belonging, in contrast to international students and students with French as a second language. A common obstacle to connecting with others was language insecurity in one of the official languages, as both are currently used on campus. Universities hosting students of multiple linguistic diversities should provide courses and campus events to stimulate intercultural knowledge and dialogue.

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Trend Analysis of the NCHA II Survey Data on Canadian Post-Secondary Student Mental Health and Wellbeing from 2013 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Linden ◽  
Randall Boyes ◽  
Heather Stuart
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Post Secondary Students

BACKGROUND: Canadian post-secondary students are considered to be at risk for chronic stress and languishing mental health, but there has been no longitudinal analysis of the available population-level data. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the overall and sex-specific prevalence of self-reported stress, distress, mental illness, and help seeking behaviours among Canadian post-secondary students over the past several years. METHODS: Using the 2013, 2016, and 2019 iterations of the National College Health Assessment II Canadian Reference data, we conducted a trend analysis for each variable of interest, stratified by sex. The significance and magnitude of the changes were modelled using cumulative linked ordinal regression models and log binomial regression models.RESULTS: With few exceptions, we observed significant increases over time in the proportion of students reporting symptoms of psychological distress, mental illness diagnoses, and help seeking for mental health related challenges. Female students reported a higher level of stress than male students, with a statistically significant increase in the stress level reported by female students observed over time. In all cases, larger proportions of female students were observed compared to male students, with the proportion of female students who self-reported mental illness diagnoses nearly doubling that of males. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicated that the proportion of students self-reporting mental health related challenges, including stress, psychological distress, and diagnosed mental illnesses increased between the 2013, 2016 and 2019 iterations of the NCHA II conducted among Canadian post-secondary students.

The prevalence of distress, depression, anxiety, and substance use issues among Indigenous post-secondary students in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-274
Author(s):  
Nolan K Hop Wo ◽  
Kelly K Anderson ◽  
Lloy Wylie ◽  
Arlene MacDougall
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
College Health ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
National College Health Assessment ◽  
Post Secondary Students

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mental illness and substance use among Indigenous students attending Canadian post-secondary institutions. We obtained data from the National College Health Assessment - American College Health Association Spring 2013 survey, which includes 34,039 participants in 32 post-secondary institutions across Canada. We calculated prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We compared Indigenous and non-Indigenous students using age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) obtained from Poisson regression models. Of the total sample, 1,110 (3.3%) post-secondary students self-identified as Indigenous. Within the past 12 months, Indigenous students had higher odds of intentionally injuring themselves (PR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.27–1.84), seriously considering suicide (PR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.12–1.56), attempting suicide (PR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.16–2.62), or having been diagnosed with depression (PR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.08–1.47) or anxiety (PR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02–1.35) when compared with non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students also had higher odds of having a lifetime diagnosis of depression (PR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.17–1.47) when compared with non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students were more likely to report binging on alcohol (PR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.02–1.19), using marijuana (PR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.06–1.37), and using other recreational drugs (PR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06–1.63) compared to non-Indigenous students. This study demonstrates that Indigenous students at post-secondary institutions across Canada experience higher prevalence of mental health and related issues compared to the non-Indigenous student population. This information highlights the need to assess the utilization and ensure the appropriate provision of mental health and wellness resources to support Indigenous students attending post-secondary institutions.

scholarly journals Post-secondary Student Mental Health During COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenney Zhu ◽  
Nicole Racine ◽  
Elisabeth Bailin Xie ◽  
Julianna Park ◽  
Julianna Watt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Post Secondary Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed notable challenges to post-secondary students, causing concern for their psychological well-being. In the face of school closures, academic disruptions, and constraints on social gatherings, it is crucial to understand the extent to which mental health among post-secondary students has been impacted in order to inform support implementation for this population. The present meta-analysis examines the global prevalence of clinically significant depression and anxiety among post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several moderator analyses were also performed to examine sources of variability in depression and anxiety prevalence rates. A systematic search was conducted across six databases on May 3, 2021, yielding a total of 176 studies (1,732,456 participants) which met inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses of 126 studies assessing depression symptoms and 144 studies assessing anxiety symptoms were conducted. The pooled prevalence estimates of clinically elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms for post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic was 30.6% (95% CI: 0.274, 0.340) and 28.2% (CI: 0.246, 0.321), respectively. The month of data collection and geographical region were determined to be significant moderators. However, student age, sex, type (i.e., healthcare student vs. non-healthcare student), and level of training (i.e., undergraduate, university or college generally; graduate, medical, post-doctorate, fellow, trainee), were not sources of variability in pooled rates of depression and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic. The current study indicates a call for continued access to mental health services to ensure post-secondary students receive adequate support during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO website: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42021253547.

scholarly journals Using administrative data to examine mental health service use among post-secondary students in Alberta, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Navjot Lamba ◽  
Robert Jagodzinski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Post Secondary Students

IntroductionPoor mental health among post-secondary students has been on the rise, and as such, has become a growing concern for the Alberta government. Alberta’s major post-secondary institutions have emphasized the need for evidence that would improve mental health supports for students troubled by mental health issues. Objectives and ApproachResponding to the need for evidence, the Child and Youth Data Laboratory profiled the socio-demographic characteristics (sex, socio-economic status, etc) of students who used mental health services between 2005/06 and 2010/11. In addition, using linked administrative data from a range of government programs, the profiles provide new data on the program involvement of post-secondary students who used mental health services, including educational achievement in high school, high cost health service use, the presence of chronic conditions, injury diagnoses, disability status, justice system involvement, income support, and type of mental health condition. ResultsOver the study period, 7% (~6,000) of post-secondary students received mental health services. Of those, between 11 and 13% were high cost health service users, ~20% received an injury diagnosis, and ~15% had a chronic condition. These proportions were higher compared to the proportions among students who did not receive mental health services. Rates of income support service use, corrections involvement, and students with disabilities were higher compared to students not receiving mental health services. A greater proportion of Canadian students (between 6.5% and 7.1%) compared to non-Canadian students (between 3.4% and 4.1%) received mental health services. In 2010/11, a greater proportion of part-time compared to full-time students were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (3.4%, part-time; 2.3% full-time) or depression (4.0% part-time; 2.3% full-time). Conclusion/ImplicationsEvidence produced from linked administrative data offers a unique understanding of students who use mental health services, particularly in terms of their government program involvement. This new evidence can be used, for example, to determine if mental health service needs are different for Canadian versus non-Canadian students, or for full-time versus part-time students.

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