To better support diverse student populations, this study uses large-scale, multi-institution survey data that focuses on students’ mental wellness. Participants in this session will discuss the relationship that race and gender have on students’ mental wellness, explore how adverse feelings affect student success, and gain insight into students’ awareness of how to get help. Implications will focus on holistic and proactive solutions

Brandon, Josclynn

BrckaLorenz, Allison

Holmes, Bridgette

Washington, Sylvia

IUScholarWorks

3/5/2020
1
Including Mental Wellness: 
A more holistic view of student success
Sylvia Washington
Josclynn Brandon 
Bridgette Holmes
Allison BrckaLorenz
What brings you here today?
What are you pondering with regards to assessing 
students’ mental wellness?
Who Are We?
• The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
• Annual survey of first-year and senior student engagement at four-year 
institutions in the U.S. and Canada
• Focuses on the amount of time and effort students put forth in their 
academic work, curricular and co-curricular participation, and perceptions of 
support from their institution
• In 2019, over 530 institutions participated
• Nearly 300,000 student respondents
So why are we talking about mental wellness?
Mental Wellness Set Overview
The Item set is composed of six 
questions to assess student's 
mental well-being. These 
questions focus on how mental 
health issues impacted students 
during the academic year.
How many days in a typical 7-day 
week do you feel rested when you 
wake up?
During the current school year, 
how difficult have the following 
been for you?
• Academics
• Career-related issues
• Health
During the current school year, 
how much have the following 
interfered with your ability to 
succeed as a student?
•Your level of stress
•Your feelings of depression
•Your feelings of anxiety
During the current school year, 
about how often have you felt the 
following?
• Worry
• Sadness
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
Mental Wellness Set Demographics
• 12,306 bachelor’s degree-seeking 
students
• 59% identified as Women 
• 38% identified as Men
• 45% first generation 
• 35% 19 years or younger 
• 36% 20-23 years old
• 57% White
• 11% multiracial
• 8% African American 
• 8% Latinx
• 6% Asian 
• 83% identified as straight 
• 11% identified as LGBTQ+
During the current school year, about how often 
have you experienced the following?
Depression that interfered with daily functioning
Feeling overwhelmed by all you had to do
Mental or emotional exhaustion
3/5/2020
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Percentage of students who answered often/very often?
22%
55%
50%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Depression that interfered with daily
functioning
Feeling overwhelmed by all you had to
do
Mental or emotional exhaustion
Overview of Framework
The framework used to guide this study combines sense of belonging and a Cultural Engaging Campus 
Environments (CECE) model. 
Ethnic minorities have indicated, in previous studies, a sense of exclusion or “not belonging” on their campuses 
(Meeuwisse, Severiens, and Born, 2010) as an important part of mental health.
Current studies have shown how environmental influences impact social interactions with concerns of racial and 
cultural identity, belief systems, and historical socialization of student's mental wellness in a collegiate 
environment (Cuyjet and Meriwether, 2016). 
We used this data to explore what significance race and gender play in students’ ability to succeed, not just in 
academic ways, on college campuses by placing minority students’ mental wellness on college campuses as the 
focal point.
Framework: Sense of Belonging
Tinto’s (1993) found that students’ who integrate 
academically and socially have a positive output 
for college success.
Several scholars argue that Tinto’s theory 
emphasizes “student, rather than institutional, 
responsibility for change and adaptation” which 
”does not value culturally supportive alternatives to 
collegiate participation”(Johnson, D. R., Soldner, M., 
Leonard, J. B., Alvarez, P., Inkelas, K. K., Rowan-
Kenyon, H. T., & Longerbeam, S. D., 2007, p. 525).
Hurtado and Carter (1997) develop the concept of 
sense of belonging which focused on exploring the 
holistic experiences of Latinx students and their 
integration into college spaces.
Students’ argued that being valued and supported 
by their collegiate environments is reaffirming of 
their sense of belonging
Framework: Sense of Belonging
 Research shows that sense of belonging is related to academic progress, 
academic achievement and social acceptance (Morrow & Ackermann, 2012)
 Wolf-Wendel et al. (2009, p.425) consider that for students to develop a ‘sense of 
belonging’, they “must learn and adopt the norms of the campus culture.”
Students of color find it difficult to disclose sensitive information to their 
faculty members
Support services (i.e. counseling) can help with the retention for students of 
color mental health
Wilson et al. (1997), who found that as the number of counselling sessions 
attended by a student increased, as did the likelihood of student retention (up 
to six sessions)
Framework: Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Model
The CECE model explains “the ways in which campus 
environments shape the experiences and outcomes of 
diverse student populations in college”.
the CECE model found that “college students’ access 
to culturally engaging campus environments is 
positively correlated with individual influences”
(e.g., sense of belonging, academic self-efficacy, 
motivation, expectation or intent to persist, and 
performance).
Two CECE framework indicators applicable to this study:
Holistic Support and Proactive Support, which 
emphasize the need for institutional leaders to be 
proactive in providing intentional methods of 
support for minority students’ mental wellness.
The model focus on how support systems respond 
to diverse students needs
Which race/ethnicity group has the highest stress or depression level?
• BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
• NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER
• MULTIRACIAL
• ASIAN
• HISPANIC OR LANTIX
• AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKAN NATIVE
• WHITE
• MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN
• ANOTHER RACE OR ETHNICITY
3/5/2020
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Stress and Depression By Race
2.1
2.3
2.4
2.4
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.6
1 2 3 4
Another race/ethnicity
Black or African Am.
White
Am. Indian or AK Native
Hispanic or Latino
Mid. Eastern or N. African
Native HI or other PI
Asian
Multiracial
Stress Scale by Race
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.9
2.0
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.1
1 2 3 4
Another race/ethnicity
Am. Indian or AK Native
White
Black or African Am.
Hispanic or Latino
Native HI or other PI
Multiracial
Mid. Eastern or N. African
Asian
Depression Scale by Race
Stress and Depression By Gender
Stress and Depression By Sexual Identity
3.2
3.0 3.0
2.8
2.7 2.7
2.4
1
2
3
4
Queer Questioning Bisexual Another SO Lesbian Gay Straight
Stress Scale by Sexual Orientation
2.8
2.6
2.5 2.5
2.3 2.2
1.9
1
2
3
4
Queer Questioning Bisexual Another SO Gay Lesbian Straight
Depression Scale by Sexual Orientation
Would you know how to get help at your institution?
Would you know how to get help with stress at your institution? 
31%
21% 17% 18% 14% 17%
21%
21%
27%
26% 26%
43%
27%
24%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
American
Indian/Alaska Native
Asian Black/African
American
Hispanic or Latino Middle Eastern or
North African
Native Hawaiian Multiracial
No Unsure
Would you know how to get help with depression at your institution? 
29%
18% 15% 17% 17% 15% 16%
19%
27%
25%
26%
35%
25% 22%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
American
Indian/Alaska Native
Asian Black/African
American
Hispanic or Latino Middle Eastern or
North African
Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander
Multiracial
No Unsure
3/5/2020
4
How does this relate to student engagement?
NSSE Engagement Indicators 
• Student-Faculty Interaction 
• Collaborative Learning
• Supportive Environment 
• Discussion with Diverse Others
• Quality of Interactions 
Stress and Engagement Level
21
23
24
27
32
3534 34
32
41
41
42
47
44
40
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Low Stress Medium Stress High Stress
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Collaborative
Learning
Supportive
Environment
Discussions with
Diverse Others
Quality of
Interactions
Depression and Engagement Level
21
23 24
29
32
34
35
34
32
41 41
42
47
44
40
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Low Depression Medium Depression High Depression
Student-Faculty
Interaction
Collaborative
Learning
Supportive
Environment
Discussions with
Diverse Others
Quality of
Interactions
Which of these findings stood out the most to you?
Does your campus already have programs or initiatives in 
place for the identities that our study show are dealing with 
stress and depression the most?
How do we change unsure/no to yes?
What situations are you facing that we didn’t cover?
What’s one thing you can do when you get back to your campus to 
begin improving the mental wellness of your students?
So… Now What?
• What doesn't get measured, 
doesn't count!
• Conduct a Mental Wellness 
Audit/Assessment
• Dig deeper into the why 
3/5/2020
5
Final thoughts and questions?
Thanks for joining us!
Website: NSSE.indiana.edu
E-mail: NSSE@indiana.edu
Blog: NSSEsightings.indiana.edu
@NSSEsurvey


Including mental wellness: A more holistic view of student success

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/2022/25776/1/ACPA20%20NSSE%20Mental%20Wellness.pdf

Including mental wellness: A more holistic view of student success

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