Assignment 4: Data Analysis & Report

1. Kathleen Brain, Alexander Trocino, & Erica DeNicola Ithaca College Dr. Prithwi Raj Subramaniam HPEG 53500-01 Methods of Assessment in Schools and Communities Assignment 4: Data Analysis & Report

2. Background

3. Ithaca College (IC) • Ranked #10 on US News & World Report’s list of Northern Regional Universities • Offers 20 degrees at the Master and Doctoral level • Approximately 470 full-time graduate students are enrolled at Ithaca College every year • Graduate students account for approximately 7% of the IC student body (~6,700 students in total)

4. Graduate Students and Mental Health • Unique stressors faced by graduate students: • Significant and rapid life changes (Grant-Vallone & Ensher, 2000) • Difficulty adjusting to less structured environment (Hyun et al., 2006) • Ambiguous expectations from faculty and advisors (Hyun et al., 2006) • Changes in financial and living conditions (Goplerud, 1980) • Changes in social relationships and support (Goplerud, 1980; Hyun et al., 2007) • Increased workload (Anderson & Swazey, 1998; Grant-Vallone & Ensher, 2000) • Unique stressors of international students (e.g., culture shock, language difficulties, adjusting to American university system; Hyun et al., 2007) • High anxiety over finding jobs and careers post-graduation (Hyun et al., 2006,2007; Wyatt & Oswalt, 2013)

5. Graduate Students and Mental Health Cont’d • Many graduate students are older and/or have families—burden of needing to fulfill multiple roles (Hyun et al., 2006, 2007) • Psychological distress is generally not reflected in graduate students’ grades so difficulties may go unnoticed by faculty (Wyatt & Oswalt, 2013) • Social support from faculty and peers is a strong predictor of well-being among graduate students (Anderson & Swazey, 1998)

6. Graduate Mental Health Assessment • Adequate assessment of graduate mental health needs is lacking • Many assessments on college and university campuses clump undergraduate and graduate students together despite unique experiences (e.g., Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Gollust, 2007) • IC assesses only undergraduate health using the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA II; ACHA, 2011)

7. Available Services at IC • The Office of Counseling and Wellness strives to provide “professional relationships and support services that empower diverse individuals and groups to achieve mental health, wellness, and education goals” and are “committed to increasing the academic and personal success of Ithaca College students” (“Office of counseling and wellness,” n.d., n.p.). • The Office of Counseling and Wellness is divided into to three centers which include: • The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), • The Center for Health Promotion (CHP), and • The Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services (“Office of counseling and wellness,” n.d)

8. The Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) • Provides professional mental health services for college students by offering “short-term counseling, consultation, crisis intervention, and educational services to the campus community” (“Center for counseling and psychological services,” n.d., n.p.). • A typical counseling session lasts about 50 minutes, and at the end of the first session the therapist will discuss treatment options with the student seeking services. • Depending on the mental health concern, the therapist may recommend a follow-up appointment, referral to group therapy, referral to an off-campus therapist, or a consultation with a medical doctor to see if medication may be helpful (“Your first appointment,” n.d.). • Due to the amount of students using this service and the limited number of staff available, appointments for CAPS must be made weeks, sometimes even months, in advance.

9. The Center for Health Promotion (CHP) • CHP “strives to create a campus culture which encourages and supports health-promoting behaviors and environments” by creating an “educational, safe, and healthy campus community” (“Center for health promotion,” n.d., n.p.). • Provides only limited information in the form of wellness pamphlets or brochures and online links to self-help information for topics such as stress management and depression. • Also provides light therapy for individuals dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and massage sessions for students during finals week for a charge of $1 per minute (“Light therapy,” n.d.).

10. Purpose • Address the gap between mental health needs of graduate students and the lack of effort to address these needs at the institutional level • Identify and bring awareness to the unique and unmet needs of IC graduate students • Use findings to generate practical recommendations for further investigation, changes that can be made

11. Methods

12. Participants • Target Population: Ithaca College Graduate Students • 46 Masters students, 14 Doctoral Students • 78% female, 20% male, 2% preferred not to say • Ages ranged from 23 to 53 years old (M = 26, SD = 6.69) • Majority (82%) identified as White, non-Hispanic • 8% international students, 92% domestic students

13. Measures • Graduate Student Mental Health Survey (GSMHS; Hyun et al., 2006) • Developed and used by faculty at UC Berkeley • Survey and permission for its use were provided by Dr. TeminaMadon, Executive Director for the Center for Effective Global Action at UC Berkeley • 55-item survey divided into 4 sections: • Department climate • Concerns and needs related to mental health and social support • Campus health service use • Demographic information

14. Procedure • Recreated GSMHS using Qualtrics Survey Software • Subjects recruited using the Ithaca College Graduate Student Committee for a Balanced Life’s email list • Survey distributed via email on May 27, 2013 to all students enrolled in at least one course during the 2012-2013 academic year • Survey closed on May 31, 2013 at 6:00PM • Data exported and analyzed using the online Qualtrics software

15. Results

16. Response Rate • 501 emails sent, 477 were delivered • 77 participants began online survey (16.1% response rate) • 59 participants completed online survey (76.6% completion rate)

17. Results: Demographics

18. Sex

19. Sexual Orientation/Identity

20. Year of Birth

21. Racial/Ethnic Identity

22. International Student

23. English Primary Language?

24. Type of Academic Program

25. School of Enrollment

26. Relationship Status

27. Work Over Past 12 Months

28. Results: Department Climate

29. Faculty Advisor with Whom Subjects had the Most Contact:

30. Level of Satisfaction/ Dissatisfaction with Faculty Advisor:

31. Frequency of Meetings with Faculty Advisor in the Last 12 Months: Number of Responses

32. Description of the Frequency in which Students Met with Faculty Advisors:

33. My Faculty Advisor:

34. Levels of Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction with Additional Faculty, Administrative Staff, And Department Support:

35. Overall Competitiveness Among Students in Academic Program:

36. Overall Supportiveness Between Students in Academic Program:

37. Results: Emotional Well-Being

38. Emotional or stress-related problem significantly affecting well being and/or academic performance

39. Knowledge of a fellow IC graduate student who has had an emotional or stress-related problem that significantly affected their well being and/or academic performance

40. In the past 12 months, how often have you:

41. Attempted Suicide (past 12 months)

42. In the past 12 months, considered using mental health services(counselors, social services, or psychiatrist) :

43. Areas Respondents Would Consider Seeking Help For:

44. Friend, partner or family member suggested counseling or psychiatric care:

45. Frequency of contact with family members (including a quick phone call or email): Number of Respondents

46. Frequency of contact with close friends (including a quick phone call or encounter): Number of Respondents

47. During a typical week (averaged over the past 12 months), how many hours do you spend:

48. Results: On- and Off-Campus Mental Health Service Use and Satisfaction Among Graduate Students

49. Awareness of Available On-Campus Counseling Services Prior to Participation in Survey

50. Informant of Available Counseling Services at Ithaca College