Barriers to mental health services among college students screened in student health: A latent class analysis

Abstract

Background: Almost a third of college students experience significant mental health concerns, but many do not receive adequate services. This study investigated barriers to mental health services among college students screened in a student health center primary care service. Method: Students (N = 1662) presenting for primary care completed mental health screenings and a barrier measure in the student health center of a university. Latent class analysis created barrier profiles. Results: Three barrier profiles were identified (none, logistical, all barriers). Profiles related to gender (p < .001), with logistical/all barrier profiles more likely amongst female students. No significant difference found by race. Students with higher depression scores were more likely to report logistical barriers than no barriers (p < .001). Conclusion: Programs must address multiple barriers to successfully engage students in treatment. Tailored interventions, including in primary care, should assess and respond to individual barriers, not just common ones.

Keywords:

• Barriers to treatment
• college students
• mental health

Conflict of interest disclosure

Dr. Diamond created the Behavioral Health Screen while at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and, thus, signed rights of the tool over to the hospital. The hospital licenses the tool to Medical Decision Logic, Inc. When they sell the screening tool, Dr. Diamond will get a small portion of the royalty paid to the hospital.

Data availability

The data used for these analyses are available upon request from the Center for Family Intervention Science at Drexel University.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this paper was provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 1U79SM061750, Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Programs and National Institute for Drug Abuse N43DA190067.