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Faculty Sponsor

Sarah Marcus

Abstract

Undergraduate students face increasing rates of mental health challenges, however discrepancies in mental health literacy and utilization of resources may exist across student populations. This study examined the perceptions of mental health in undergraduate students at Binghamton University and if they differed among STEM vs non-STEM, man vs. women, and first-generation vs. continuing generation undergraduate students. A 20-question survey, containing 5 demographic questions and 15 mental health related questions was distributed through Qualtrics to 9 undergraduate classes. The available response choices were based on the Likert scale. A total of 1266 students participated.  Chi square tests of independence were done for each question for each of the three groups. Statistically significant differences were observed for four of fifteen items in the STEM versus non-STEM comparison, nine in the men versus women comparison, and three in the first-generation versus continuing generation comparison. Responses across all demographics revealed a consistent pattern of decreased mental health literacy, low utilization of campus resources, and a general hesitancy to seek help. However, meaningful differences were revealed for both first-generation students and women students. These findings indicate that while awareness and utilization of available mental health services are low across the student population, first-generation students and women students are particularly vulnerable to intense feelings of stress and self-doubt and may benefit from targeted interventions by mental health services on Binghamton University campus.

Citation Style

APA

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