l connectedness and development of targeted life skills, informs identification of students at risk, promotes help-seeking, encourages provision of substance abuse and mental health services, and discusses crisis management procedures and prevention measures.
Is Online Campus Counseling Here to Stay?: Describes rapid expansion of colleges offering remote (telephonic and online video) counseling services for students during COVID-19, and evinces a widespread recognition of inherent advantages for higher education student populations and for institutions of higher learning. “Close to half of students surveyed in this past fall's Healthy Minds Study screened positive for clinically significant symptoms of depression and/or anxiety,” and “studies have shown video therapy to be as effective as in-person sessions."
Seize the Awkward: Provides an assortment of tools, tip sheets and conversation guides, to help students conduct, facilitate and participate in conversations about mental health in order to help normalize, and mitigate stigma that might be related to, help-seeking to address mental health support needs. Videos, toll-free helpline and texting mechanisms are shared at this website by the JED Foundation and its partners.
Coping with Stress During COVID-19: Outlines ways that you can take care of your mental health during the fear and anxiety that can occur during the COVID-19 pandemic. This collection from the CDC offers crisis resources and targeted strategies based on a variety of social, financial, and community backgrounds.
COVID-19: Potential Implications for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders: Examines how populations with substance use disorders may be disproportionately affected as the world contends with COVID-19, subject to worsening underlying respiratory and pulmonary issues in addition to potential socioeconomic concerns. (Generally, substance use disorders are relatively more frequent among young adults of typical college-student age.) This blog entry was hosted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Increased Mood Disorder Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Alcohol Use among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evaluates effects of the spring 2020 COVID-19 disruption on student well-being. A sample of 148 students (86.5% female, 49.3% White) completed measures of psychological symptoms, perceived stress, and alcohol use during the spring 2020 semester. Their results were compared to those of 240 students (87.9% female, 64.2% White) who completed the same measures in the fall 2019 semester. Participants in spring 2020 reported more mood disorder symptoms, perceived stress, and alcohol use than did pre-pandemic participants. Worry about COVID-19 was negatively associated with well-being in multiple domains. This analysis explains how universities and practitioners who work with college students can help young adults manage their symptoms and avoid behaviors like risky alcohol use when confronted with stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for Community College Students (BASICCS): Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Web-Conferencing BASICCS and Supporting Automated Text Messages: Examines feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of adapting an evidence-based substance use treatment intervention to remote web conferencing format. The Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) aims to reduce high-risk drinking and associated harms. BASICCS showed promising evidence of the viability of the technology-based format, although the intervention completion rate in the non-treatment-seeking volunteer sample was modest. Preliminary evidence suggests BASICCS shows promise in reducing alcohol use and consequences through web conferencing adaptation.
UPDATED Guidance for Interruptions of Study Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19): Provides updated (June 2020) information from the Federal Student Aid office of the U.S. Department of Education in response to the unique and urgent circumstances of postsecondary institutions as a result of