Giving Compass' Take:

• A new study by the RAND Corporation confirms that campus mental health support groups have a positive impact on student mental health and well-being.

• How can philanthropy support the spread of these groups? What other mental health resources are needed on campuses? 

• Here's how to change the mental health conversation on college campuses. 

Research from a landmark new study by the RAND Corporation confirms what we’ve always found to be true — that Active Minds has a significant, positive impact on student health and well-being by creating a supportive climate for mental health on college campuses.

The results of the longitudinal study of more than 1,100 students at 12 colleges is published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (July 2018) in an article titled “Strengthening College Students’ Mental Health Knowledge, Awareness, and Helping Behaviors: The Impact of Active Minds, a Peer Mental Health Organization.”

Highlights:

  • As students become more involved with Active Minds, they are more likely to reach out to a classmate or friend who is struggling with a mental health issue such as depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts.
  • Among the general student body, knowledge and positive attitudes about mental health increases as a result of an Active Minds presence, creating a more supportive campus climate and increasing the potential that students in distress will seek mental health services.
  • Active Minds’ education programs meaningfully influence not only students’ knowledge and attitudes toward mental health issues, but also their behaviors.
  • The impact is swift — knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors examined in the study positively changed within a single academic year.

Read the full article about campus mental health groups at Active Minds.