Increasing mental health issues in college students from 2016-2019: Assessing the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate how trends in mental health (e.g., diagnosis/treatment of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation) varied across intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation in a large, national sample of undergraduate students. METHODS: Data from the American College Health Association, and National College Health Assessment II: 2016-2019 were analyzed (N = 228,640 undergraduate students from 442 campuses, ages 18-24; 67.8 % female, 40.4 % BIPOC, 3.0 % non-binary (trans/non-conforming), 19.4 % LGBQ+). We used logistic regression to predict each mental health indicator; covariates included year, gender, BIPOC, LGBQ+ status, and their interactions, as well as other covariate controls (e.g., region, year in school). RESULTS: There were significant and steady increases in the odds of each mental health indicator by year (ORs = 1.12-1.13), which were significantly greater in magnitude for LGBQ+ students (ORs = 1.20-1.23). Increases did not vary by gender, race/ethnicity, or intersections between these groups and LGBQ+ status. There were significant interactions between identity groups that aligned with intersectional and minority stress theories (which did not vary by year). Non-Hispanic White students had significantly greater odds of past-year treatment/diagnosis of depression and anxiety compared to BIPOC students; however, BIPOC students had significantly greater odds of past-year suicidal ideation and this was pronounced for BIPOC women. Being non-binary x LGBQ+ was associated with significantly greater odds of each indicator. DISCUSSION: Results affirm the importance of promoting mental health among college students, with a particular focus on how to better serve and support BIPOC, non-binary, and LGBQ+ students.

Microaggressions, perceptions of campus climate, mental health, and alcohol use among first-year college students of color.

Depressive and anxiety symptoms are increasingly common, and problematic alcohol use remains prevalent in college. To expand on prior research on mostly white samples, we surveyed first-year students of color from our predominately white university (Southeastern US) to identify risk factors for mental health symptoms and potentially co-occurring problematic alcohol use. Results showed significant associations between microaggressions and poor campus climate (hypothetical predictors) with depressive, anxiety, somatic symptoms (hypothetical outcomes) that were indirectly linked through perceived stress, poor sleep, and academic burnout (hypothetical mediators). Poor campus climate, academic burnout, and using alcohol to cope were the most relevant to alcohol use disorder symptoms. Results support efforts to address and reduce racial microaggressions and promote a positive campus climate for all.

The problem of miscitation in psychological science: Righting the ship.

Scholarly citation represents one of the most common and essential elements of psychological science, from publishing research, to writing grant proposals, to presenting research at academic conferences. However, when authors mischaracterize prior research findings in their studies, such instances of miscitation call into question the reliability and credibility of scholarship within psychological science and can harm theory development, evidence-based practices, knowledge growth, and public trust in psychology as a legitimate science. Despite these implications, almost no research has considered the prevalence of miscitation in the psychological literature. In the largest study to date, we compared the accuracy of 3,347 citing claims to original findings across 89 articles in eight of top psychology journals. Results indicated that, although most (81.2%) citations were accurate, roughly 19% of citing claims either failed to include important nuances of results (9.3%) or completely mischaracterized findings from prior research altogether (9.5%). Moreover, the degree of miscitation did not depend on the number of authors on an article or the seniority of the first authors. Overall, results indicate that approximately one in every 10 citations completely mischaracterizes prior research in leading psychology journals. We offer five recommendations to help authors ensure that they cite prior research accurately. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Does social withdrawal inhibit defending bullied peers and do perceived injunctive norms mitigate those effects?

Although a number of social-cognitive and contextual correlates of defending against bullying have been identified, research on the personality traits associated with defending have yielded weak and inconsistent results. The current study provided a novel examination as to whether a tendency toward social withdrawal is associated with less frequent defending and whether perceived injunctive norms for defending and aggression minimize the impact of social withdrawal on defending behaviors. A sample of 1,564 children (760 girls; Mage = 10.05; 55.0% White; 36.1% Black) were followed in the fall, winter, and spring of a school year. Defending was measured with self-reports and peer-reports. Social withdrawal was measured using teacher-reports. Perceived injunctive norms were estimated by calculating within-person correlations between participants' ratings of peers' popularity and defending and between peers' popularity and aggression. Results revealed that social withdrawal was associated with less peer-reported defending in the fall, and this effect was sustained over the school year. For boys, lower levels of social withdrawal in the fall were associated with less peer-reported defending when they viewed popular peers as unlikely to defend. A temporary (i.e., fall) association was found between viewing defenders as popular and self-reported defending, and children became less likely to self-report defending over the school year if they viewed popular children as aggressive. These findings underscore the need to examine how temperamental traits and perceived contextual norms cocontribute to bystanders' behavior when witnessing bullying. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).