1 - (SYM 71) Socio-ecological Barriers Impeding Mental Health Service Utilization Among Community College Students vs. 4-year University Students

Research shows an association between perceived need for mental health services and service utilization among college students. However, not every student who needs mental health services can access them. This is especially true at community colleges (CC’s) where students are underresourced and more likely to be from a minoritized background. Therefore, we examined the role of socio-ecological barriers as moderators between perceived need and service utilization on college campuses. In addition, we compare the mechanistic role of socio-ecological barriers between CC students and four-year university students.

We used data from the 2023–2024 cohort of The Healthy Minds Study (Healthy Minds Network, 2024), a national large-scale survey that included 104,729 college students (M_age = 23.73, SD = 7.67, 68% female, 18% CC students). 

Students rated their past-year need for help with mental health challenges and whether they received services. The socio-ecological barriers measured were 1) knowledge of where to find campus mental health services, 2) financial stress, 3) past-year racial/ethnic discrimination, and 4) personal mental health stigma. Age and gender were used as covariates.

Results from multiple logistic regression models revealed that higher perceived need was associated with higher therapy use (OR = 2.07, p < .001). In addition, knowledge of campus services (OR = 1.03, p < .001) moderated the association between perceived need and service utilization. Higher financial stress (OR = 0.95, p < .001), racial/ethnic discrimination (OR = 0.92, p = .003), and personal mental health stigma (OR = 0.97, p < .001) also served as moderators. Results from our independent-sample t-tests showed that CC students had significantly lower knowledge of campus services, greater financial stress, and higher personal stigma. 

            Lack of knowledge of campus services, financial stress, racial discrimination, and personal stigma impeded mental health service utilization for college students. Despite having a similar perceived need for mental health services, CC students utilized services at a lower rate than 4-year university students. Furthermore, CC students are particularly vulnerable to encountering more barriers to treatment across socio-ecological levels, including having less knowledge about services, higher financial stress, and holding more personal stigma than other college students. To overcome these barriers, CC campuses should ensure their mental health services are more inclusive, accessible, and widely shared for students in need.