Mental health symptoms and academic achievement factors

Abstract

Objective: Assess academic habits and self-efficacy of college students with serious mental illnesses and explore their relationship with mental health symptoms. Participants: College students with serious mental illnesses. Methods: Baseline data from students recruited for an intervention study were gathered using psychometrically sound instruments assessing symptom distress, procrastination, study habits, academic self-efficacy, and campus engagement. Results were compared to reference samples of college students without identified mental health issues and then correlational analyses were conducted to examine their relationship with degree of mental health symptom distress. Results: Students with serious mental illnesses scored lower on most measures associated with academic performance. Greater symptom distress was associated with poorer academic habits and self-efficacy, but not campus engagement. Conclusions: This study supports hypothesized mechanisms by which mental health symptoms impact academic performance and suggests interventions aimed at addressing these factors while treatment is in process.

Keywords:

• Mental health

Disclosure statement

The authors have no disclosures to report.

Additional information

Funding

The contents of this article were developed with the assistance of a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR; Grant 90RT5021-02-00; Salzer, PI). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and endorsement by the Federal government should not be assumed.