Cited by 119Mental Health Treatment and AccessEducation and Military IntegrationPosttraumatic Stress Disorder Research

Prevalence of probable mental disorders and help-seeking behaviors among veteran and non-veteran community college students

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Fortney, John C., Curran, Geoffrey M., Hunt, Justin B., Cheney, Ann M., Lu, Liya, Valenstein, Marcia, Eisenberg, Daniel·2016·General Hospital Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective Millions of disadvantaged youth and returning veterans are enrolled in community colleges. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of mental disorders and help-seeking behaviors among community college students.Methods Veterans (n=211) and non-veterans (n=554) were recruited from 11 community colleges and administered screeners for depression (PHQ-9), generalized anxiety (GAD-7), posttraumatic stress disorder (PC-PTSD), non-lethal self-injury, suicide ideation and suicide intent. The survey also asked about the perceived need for, barriers to and utilization of services. Regression analysis was used to compare prevalence between non-veterans and veterans adjusting for non-modifiable factors (age, gender and race/ethnicity).Results A large proportion of student veterans and non-veterans screened positive and unadjusted bivariate comparisons indicated that student veterans had a significantly higher prevalence of positive depression screens (33.1% versus 19.5%, P<.01), positive PTSD screens (25.7% versus 12.6%, P<.01) and suicide ideation (19.2% versus 10.6%, P=.01). Adjusting for age, gender and race/ethnicity, veterans were significantly more likely than non-veterans to screen positive for depression (OR=2.10, P=.01) and suicide ideation (OR=2.31, P=.03). Student veterans had significantly higher odds of perceiving a need for treatment than non-veterans (OR=1.93, P=.02) but were more likely to perceive stigma (beta=0.28, P=.02). Despite greater need among veterans, there were no significant differences between veterans and non-veterans in use of psychotropic medications, although veterans were more likely to receive psychotherapy (OR=2.35, P=.046).Conclusions Findings highlight the substantial gap between the prevalence of probable mental health disorders and treatment seeking among community college students. Interventions are needed to link community college students to services, especially for student veterans.

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Authors
Fortney, J. C., Curran, G. M., Hunt, J. B., Cheney, A. M., Lu, L., Valenstein, M., & Eisenberg, D.
Affiliations
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (US)
  • Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (US)
  • University of California, Riverside (US)
  • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
Fortney, John C.
Venue
General Hospital Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-01
Volume
38
Pages
99-104
ISSN
0163-8343 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2200501458
Cited by
119
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 4
FWCI
16.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • General Hospital Psychiatry (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • National Institute of Mental Health (DM090465)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education and Military Integration
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Keywords
student veterans, community college students, mental illness, help-seeking, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, stigma, barriers to mental health care, psychotropic drug use, psychotherapy utilization, treatment gap
MeSH terms
Help-Seeking Behavior, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Arkansas, Mental Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health Services, Psychotherapy, Psychotropic Drugs, Regression Analysis, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Students, Veterans, Prevalence, Odds Ratio, Case-Control Studies, Self-Injurious Behavior, Young Adult, Social Stigma, Suicidal Ideation

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