Does variability across three universities in the implementation of a college course on human flourishing affect student outcomes?

OBJECTIVE: This study explores whether variability in the implementation of an undergraduate course on human flourishing is differentially associated with student outcomes. PARTICIPANTS: 101 students in the "Art and Science of Human Flourishing" course across three large, public, R1 universities in Fall 2018 participated in the study. METHODS: Formative course data included researcher observations of weekly class pedagogy, students' weekly meditation practice logs and end-of-course assessments, and pre/post surveys measuring changes in participating students' outcomes related to flourishing (e.g., attentional skills, social-emotional skills, perspectives on flourishing, mental and physical health). RESULTS: Although course pedagogy and student engagement varied across the three universities, students' outcomes were nonetheless similar. CONCLUSIONS: Variability in course implementation did not appear to differentially affect students' outcomes. We tentatively conclude that other institutions interested in offering the flourishing course may make limited adaptations to fit their pedagogical preferences without concern for altering its impact on students.

COVID-19 pandemic effects on college student mental health: A cross-sectional cohort comparison study.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate COVID-19 pandemic impacts on college student mental health. PARTICIPANTS: Three cohorts of college students (2018 n = 466; 2019 n = 459; 2020, n = 563; N = 1488) from three American universities. Participants were 71.4% female, 67.5% White, and 85.9% first-year students. METHODS: Multivariable regression models and bivariate correlations were used to compare anxiety, depression, well-being, and search for meaning before and during the pandemic, and the relationships between pandemic health-compliance behaviors and mental health. RESULTS: Anxiety, depression, and well-being did not significantly worsen during compared to before (2019) the pandemic (ps = .329-.837). During the pandemic, more frequent in-person social interactions were correlated with lower anxiety (r = -0.17, p < .001) and depressive symptoms (r=-0.12, p = .008), and higher well-being (r = 0.16, p < .001), but also less handwashing (r = -0.11, p = .016) and face mask-wearing (r = -0.12, p = .008). CONCLUSIONS: We observed little evidence for pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Lower compliance with pandemic health guidelines was associated with better mental health.

Can the Academic and Experiential Study of Flourishing Improve Flourishing in College Students? A Multi-University Study.

Objectives: Significant concerns have been raised about the "mental health crisis" on college campuses, with attention turning to what colleges can do beyond counseling services to address students' mental health and well-being. We examined whether primarily first-year (89.1%) undergraduate students (n=651) who enrolled in the Art and Science of Human Flourishing (ASHF), a novel academic and experiential for-credit elective course on human flourishing, would demonstrate improved mental health and strengthen skills, perspectives, and behaviors associated with flourishing relative to students who did not enroll in this course. Methods: In a two-wave, multi-site, propensity-score matched controlled trial (ASHF n=217, Control n=434; N=651), we used hierarchal linear models and false discovery rate corrected doubly robust estimates to evaluate the impact of the ASHF on attention and social-emotional skill development, flourishing perspectives, mental health, health, and risk behavior outcomes. Results: ASHF participants reported significantly improved mental health (i.e., reduced depression) and flourishing, improvements on multiple attention and social-emotional skills (e.g., attention function, self-compassion), and increases in prosocial attitudes (empathic concern, shared humanity; Cohen's ds= 0.18-0.46) compared to controls. There was no evidence for ASHF course impacts on health or risk behaviors, raising the possibility that these outcomes take more time to change. Conclusions: This research provides initial evidence that the ASHF course may be a promising curricular approach to reduce and potentially prevent poor mental health while promoting flourishing in college students. Continued research is needed to confirm these conclusions.

Testing the factor structure and measurement invariance of the PHQ-9 across racially diverse U.S. college students.

Today's college students are at increased risk for depression. Therefore, accurate and sustainable assessment of depressive symptoms among college students has become an important issue. One promising instrument for depression screening in college settings is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a 9-item self-report measure developed in primary care and designed to assess the presence of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) symptom criteria for major depressive disorder. Although the PHQ-9 has been well validated in primary care settings, no studies have examined its factor structure for diverse college populations in the United States. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to test competing measurement models and the measurement invariance of the PHQ-9 across gender (men and women) and racial/ethnic groups (African American, Asian American, European American, Latino/a American) in a sample of 857 U.S. college students. Results supported a 1-factor model of the PHQ-9. Based on configural, metric, and scalar invariance test results, the PHQ-9 assesses depressive symptoms equivalently across gender and racial/ethnic groups. In support of validity evidence, PHQ-9 scores were positively associated with alcohol use and negatively associated with mental well-being. Implications for future research and assessment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Exploring relationships between sexual orientation and satisfaction with faculty and staff interactions.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students are a unique population within colleges and universities, yet, few studies have sought to uncover the distinctive environmental influences and background characteristics that foster their satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sexual orientation and a sense of satisfaction with faculty and staff interactions among undergraduate students. Analysis of variance results indicated that LGB students, on average, reported significantly higher satisfaction with faculty and staff interactions than heterosexual students. Using Astin's (1993 ) input-environments-outcome model as a conceptual framework, the hierarchical regression analysis yielded numerous significant variables as predictors for student satisfaction with faculty and staff interactions.