“I am looking forward to speaking at the ARC Conference at my alma mater, FSU. I have devoted my professional life to inspiring leaders in education, especially student-athletes, to find their purpose and build resilience. I’m happy to be promoting these initiatives alongside other like-minded professionals who want to help students thrive. The work that we do here is important.”

Student-athletes deal with the demands of school in addition to the pressure of their athletic careers, which makes it difficult to allot time for self-care or resilience-building. When asked why he continues to dedicate his time to student resilience and well-being, Charles stated, “I want to give students the tools they need to be successful - at home, in the classroom, and on the track.”

Learn more about Charles at thecharlesclark.com

Effectiveness of Resilience Interventions for Higher Education Students: A Meta-Analysis and Metaregression.

This study by Ang et al. (2022) reviewed the effectiveness of resilience interventions in improving resilience, reducing depressive symptoms, and overcoming stress symptoms among higher education students. Findings indicate that resilience interventions effectively enhanced resilience and reduced depressive and stress symptoms among higher education students. Additionally, the results suggest that resilience training on building relationships and social connections increases one’s ability to deal with challenges and adversity, improves one’s sense of self-esteem, and increases the ability to use adaptive strategies in stressful situations.

This study illustrates that resilience training with self-regulation techniques can enable students to focus on the positive aspects of their experiences, reducing their subjective sense of stress. Resilience interventions that included cognitive reappraisal techniques were effective in reframing negative thoughts and changing behavioral patterns. Finally, this study indicates that resilience training increased students’ engagement, motivation, and learning when delivered using synchronous communication and combined didactic and dialectic teaching methods.

Reference:

Ang, W. H. D., Lau, S. T., Cheng, L. J., Chew, H. S. J., Tan, J. H., Shorey, S., & Lau, Y. (2022). Effectiveness of resilience interventions for higher education students: A meta-analysis and metaregression. Journal of Educational Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/edu0000719

Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021.

This study by Lipson et al. (2022) examined annual trends for mental health and help-seeking in diverse racial and ethnic college student populations from 2013-2021. Findings indicate that there has been almost a 50% increase in mental health problems in this student population since 2013, with 60% of college students meeting the criteria for one or more mental health issues. Additionally, results of this study show that students of color have the lowest rate of mental health help-seeking and service utilization, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students have experienced the most significant increase in anxiety, suicidal ideation, depression, and meeting criteria for one or more mental health concern than that of their peers. 

This study emphasizes the need for higher education institutions' mental health programming to address mental health inequalities in diverse college student populations. 

Reference:

Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013–2021. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. doi.org/10.1016/J.Jad.2022.03.038

Food insecurity and mental health among young adult college students in the United States.

This study by Oh et al. (2022) analyzed the prevalence of food insecurity among college students and its association with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study reveal that 30.8% of college students reported experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity was more common among Black, Latinx/Hispanic, cis-gender women, and transgender/nonbinary/other students than their peers. Additionally, this study's findings highlight that food insecurity in this population is associated with greater rates of anxiety, loneliness, depression, languishing, self-injurious behaviors, and suicidal ideation and attempts. 

This study highlights the need for higher education institutions to implement strategies to intervene and alleviate food insecurity among their students to prevent mental health issues and promote greater overall well-being.

Reference:

Oh, H., Smith, L., Jacob, L., Du, J., Shin, J. I., Zhou, S., & Koyanagi, A. (2022). Food insecurity and mental health among young adult college students in the United States. Journal of affective disorders, 303, 359–363. doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.02.009

• Be REAL: a six-week skills group that equips participants with cognitive behavior skills to manage emotions and cope with challenging situations, mindfulness skills to strengthen self-awareness, and practices that promote compassion for themselves and others (in collaboration with the UW Center for Child and Family Well-Being). 
• Resistance through Resilience: a series of lectures and workshops that focuses on the role of mindfulness and compassion in addressing everyday racial oppression and racial exhaustion in our communities (in collaboration with the UW Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity). 
• Resilience and Compassion Seed Grants: a dedicated fund for UW students, staff, and faculty to support the beginning stages of projects that cultivate resilience, compassion, and sustainability on campus (in collaboration with the UW Campus Sustainability Fund). 
• Well-Being for Life & Learning Initiative: a pedagogical aid for instructors interested in designing learning environments that promote student well-being, including a guidebook and a continuing community of practice. 
• Longitudinal Study on Well-Being: a research initiative to gather information on the internal and external resources students utilize to maintain their well-being as they transition into their first year at the University. 

Megan Kennedy is the Director of the UW Resilience Lab. As a leader & facilitator, Megan aims to build healthy & compassionate learning communities. 

Come listen as Megan discusses these meaningful programs and initiatives at the 2022 ARC Conference in October.

Learn more: wellbeing.uw.edu/unit/resilience-lab/

JED works directly with high schools, colleges, and universities to establish systems, programs, and policies aimed at cultivating a culture of caring and inclusion that is free from the shame and stigma often associated with mental health. JED also works directly with communities to provide education, training, and tools to families, friends, and media in order to best support youths. Their goal is for every school nationwide to have a comprehensive system that supports student emotional health and reduces the risks of substance misuse and suicide.

JED has worked with over 370 colleges, representing over 4.8 million students, using their JED Campus program to improve mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programming. More than 2 million teens and their families have used JED’s Set to Go high school program to prepare emotionally for the transition to college and adult life.

These are just a few ways the JED Foundation utilizes its resources to create community, academic, and interpersonal support for youth emotional well-being and mental health. Visit jedfoundation.org to learn more.

Come see JED present at the 2022 ARC Conference in October.

ARC members have exclusive access to JED resources and webinar presentation slides in the ARC Resource Library.

Learn more:

healthyacademics.org/