Mental Health in Community Colleges: A Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews mental health challenges faced by community college students and highlights the need for better resources and interventions.

Contribution

The paper emphasizes the need for targeted mental health initiatives in community colleges to address disparities compared to four-year universities.

Findings

Community college students face similar or higher mental health crises compared to four-year university students.

Access to mental health resources in community colleges is limited.

More research is needed to improve interventions and access to care for these students.

Abstract

This paper examines the various perceptions of community college students on mental health challenges, access to resources, barriers to treatment, and possible interventions for care improvements. Data was gathered via literature review.

Resources for college students enrolled in a two-year or community college program have been limited despite similar or higher rates of mental health crises compared to their four-year student counterparts.

Overall, these findings point to the necessity of advancing initiatives to close the mental health treatment gap between community colleges and four-year universities, as well as between racial and ethnic minority students within community colleges. A better understanding of how mental health affects community college students could inform more effective interventions from college staff and clinicians. More research is needed to generalize results and implement interventions to improve access to care.