Longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and changes in college students' psychological distress and help-seeking intentions.

To examine longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and students' psychological distress and help-seeking intentions.

Participants

College and university students (n = 576) across six Pennsylvania campuses were recruited in Fall 2022 and completed online surveys at baseline, 1-month, and 6-month follow-up.

Methods

Separate fixed-effects regression analyses examined within-person associations between perceived campus mental health climate and psychological distress (K6) and help-seeking intentions over time, adjusting for covariates.

Results

Increases in perceived campus mental health climate were associated with decreases in K6 scores (B = -0.46, SE= 0.19, p = 0.01) and increased intentions to seek help from a friend (B = 0.14, SE = 0.04, p = .0008) and mental health professional (B = 0.22, SE = 0.05, p < .0001) over time.

Conclusions

Improved perceptions of campus mental health climate were associated with reductions in students' psychological distress and increases in help-seeking intentions within a single academic year.