Distress and Suicidality in Higher Education: Implications for Population-Oriented Prevention Paradigms

Brownson, Chris; Drum, David J.; Becker, Martin; Saathoff, Andrea; Hentschel, Elizabeth

doi:10.1080/87568225.2016.1140978

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…For example, targeting dating violence could have a beneficiary effect for a maximum of about one third (29%) of subsequent STB onset. In contrast, targeting the wider range of traumatic experiences could reach twice the amount of cases (59%), pointing to the potential of a population-based approach when designing interventions (Brownson et al, 2016). As trauma is so closely related to suicidal behaviour, particularly in younger people, providing more attention to the prevention of these adversities may have key positive downstream effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in college

Mortier

Demyttenaere

Auerbach

et al. 2017

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Background College students are a worldwide increasing group of young people at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STB). However, no previous studies have prospectively investigated the first onset of STB during the college period. Methods Using longitudinal data from the Leuven College Surveys, 2,337 (response rate [RR]=66.6%) incoming freshmen provided baseline data on STB, parental psychopathology, childhood-adolescent traumatic experiences, 12-month risk for mental disorders, and 12-month stressful experiences. A total of 1,253 baseline respondents provided data on 12-month STB in a two-year annual follow-up survey (conditional RR=53.6%; college dropout adjusted conditional RR=70.2%). Results One-year incidence of first-onset STB was 4.6–6.4%. Effect sizes of the included risk factors varied considerably whether viewed from individual-level (ORs 1.91–17.58) or population-level perspective (PARPs 3.4–34.3%). Dating violence prior to the age of 17, physical abuse prior to the age of 17, and 12-month betrayal by someone else than the partner were most strong predictors for first-onset suicidal ideation (ORs=4.23–12.25; PARPs=8.7–27.1%) and plans (ORs=6.57–17.58; PARPs=15.2–34.3%). Multivariate prediction (AUC=.84–.91) revealed that 50.7–65.7% of first-onset STB cases were concentrated in the 10% at highest predicted risk. Limitations As this is a first investigation of STB onset in college, future studies should use validation samples to test the accuracy of our multivariate prediction model. Conclusions The first onset of STB in college appears to be higher than in the general population. Screening at college entrance is a promising strategy to identify those students at highest prospective risk, enabling the cost-efficient clinical assessment of young adults in college.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in college

Mortier

Demyttenaere

Auerbach

et al. 2017

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…Although these are great resources, students may face barriers to accessing supports because of time commitments and concerns about mental health stigma (Miller, Elder, & Scavone, 2017;Vogel, Wester, & Larson, 2007). There is some concern that students are trying to cope with mental health concerns without seeking help from available counselling services (Brownson et al, 2016;Oswalt & Riddock, 2007). Additionally, many resources can be difficult for students in online and professional learning programs to access due to geographical differences or other commitments (Arric, Young, Harris, & Farrow, 2011).…”

Section: Stress Reduction Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They tend to be older than students enrolled in face-to-face programs (Johnson, 2015) and have different expectations for their online graduate programs (i.e., advancement in the workforce; Holzweiss, Joyner, Fuller, Henderson, & Young, 2014). These students also experience conflicting priorities, including employment and family responsibilities that can interfere with academic performance (Arric et al, 2011;Brownson et al, 2016). For example, Moore and Greenland (2017) found that online university students in Australia identified competing work commitments as the number one reason why they dropped courses.…”

Section: Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to academic expectations, students perceive multiple life stressors that affect their daily functioning (Bistricky et al, 2018;Denovan & Macaskill, 2013). In a survey of undergraduate and graduate post-secondary students in the U.S., respondents identified financial, romantic relationship, family, friendship, and life transition problems as the top stressors (Brownson, Drum, Swanbrow-Becker, Saathoff, & Hentschel, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Introducing a Late Bank in Online Graduate Courses: The Response of Students

2019

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In post-secondary education, students must demonstrate strong time-management skills while they navigate several courses in a semester. When students struggle to meet due dates, they can accrue late penalties, which exacerbates a stressful situation. In response, two graduate programs integrated a late bank system into their online courses. Students could submit one of two assignments up to five days after the due date without penalty. After each assignment was due, a survey was used to measure students’ levels of stress, the perception of the late bank, and reasons for using it. This study found the late bank was utilized by students, was positively regarded, and improved student attitudes toward their instructor. Reported levels of stress were similar for students who used the late bank compared to those did not. The results suggest that incorporating a late bank into the course design is an effective method of promoting student well-being.

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“…Every experienced post-secondary educator is likely to have supported students in navigating these types of challenges, including through the provision of assignment extensions. Students who have competing responsibilities such as work, children, and family responsibilities often struggle with academic expectations (Brownson et al 2016;Moore and Greenland 2017;Xuereb 2014). These barriers may escalate as tuition costs increase and students experience increasing financial hardships and face more significant pressure to work while they attend school (see Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, and Hernandez 2017).…”

Section: Additional and Overlapping Barriersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Replacing Power with Flexible Structure: Implementing Flexible Deadlines to Improve Student Learning Experiences

Hills

Peacock

2022

TLI

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Traditional course deadline policies uphold the myth of the “normal” student, assuming students face few and equal barriers to completing work on time. In contrast, flexible deadline policies acknowledge that students face unequal barriers and seek to mitigate them. Flexible deadline policies maintain structure while transferring some decision-making power from the instructor into the hands of the student. These practices align with current pedagogical movements in higher education that seek to empower all students to meet learning goals. This study explores student perspectives on, and use of, proactive extensions built into a recent university course. We compare extension use in low-stake, high-stake, individual, and team assignments; observe how extension use changed over the term; and examine student self-reported responses about the policy. Students unanimously agreed that the proactive extension policy was valuable to their learning. They reported that the proactive extensions enabled them to improve the quality of their work and to better manage their academic workloads, acting as self-regulated learners. They also frequently described reduced stress as a benefit. Extensions generally appeared to be used as needed rather than encouraging procrastination. Students also identified that the need to request extensions in other courses was a barrier. The instructor of this course also benefitted from implementing this policy. Faculty should consider implementing flexible deadline policies to improve student learning experiences and to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive learning environment.

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Distress and Suicidality in Higher Education: Implications for Population-Oriented Prevention Paradigms

Cited by 17 publications

References 20 publications

First onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in college

First onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviours in college

Introducing a Late Bank in Online Graduate Courses: The Response of Students

Replacing Power with Flexible Structure: Implementing Flexible Deadlines to Improve Student Learning Experiences

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