A UT research initiative found many community college students struggle with mental health challenges such as anxiety disorder and depression, often due to obligations outside of school, according to an Oct. 30 report.

The University’s Center for Community College Student Engagement analyzed data from two student surveys to assess the well-being of community college students. The surveys included responses from over 60,000 returning students across 149 community colleges and nearly 14,000 entering students from 61 community colleges. Of returning students, 32% reported likely having generalized anxiety disorder and 26% reported likely having depressive disorder. Of entering students, 29% reported likely having generalized anxiety disorder and 23% reported likely having depressive disorder.  

“We wanted to know if colleges really want to understand … not just what happens in the classroom or why students are struggling academically, but really have an understanding of the student holistically (such as) what’s occurring in their lives beyond the course and their experience at the campus,” said Linda Garcia, the Center’s executive director.

Garcia said the Center chose to report on mental health after asking a focus group of community college students about the issues they experience. Many students reported the COVID-19 pandemic, along with food and housing insecurity, had the greatest impact on their mental health.

Garcia said the report posed five questions community colleges should ask students about their mental health and well-being. The questions include whether students believe their mental health is a priority at their college, if they know where they can seek help on campus and when to seek help if needed. 

“We are not saying that colleges should provide counseling services because all community colleges are different, with some having more resources than others,” Garcia said. “If colleges don’t have the capacity to hire professional staff who have expertise in mental health and well-being, let’s connect them to community resources and know where to connect them and where to send them.” 

Jodi Denyszyn, dean of mental health counseling at Austin Community College, said in an email that many community colleges serve a population of students who face multiple obligations outside of school, such as working full-time jobs and caring for their families. She said this impacts students’ ability to spend extra time accessing mental health resources.

Denyszyn said ACC offers counseling sessions where students can speak in confidence to licensed professionals in person or on the phone. 

“Mental health counselors at ACC offer services and programs across the district to help students build resilience, find balance, and help maintain safety, health and overall wellness, in addition to offering individual and group counseling opportunities,” Denyszyn said.