Those who voluntarily represented Eastern Michigan University in a recent, anonymous survey surpassed the average number of college students who have admittedly felt symptoms of depression at least once in their lives.
Results across the board — occurrences of self-inflicted pain, thoughts of suicide, impacts on academics, etc. — of the National College Health Assessment reflect not only negative mental health statistics of students attending the Ypsilanti school but above-average concerns.
Representing EMU were 669 students who responded to the survey sent via email to 7,000 undergraduate students; the 6.9 percent response rate confirmed a 24 percent increase from 2008. In total, 355,000 students from more than 300 colleges and universities participated
nationwide.
Direct evidence of the trend would be seen in the category labeled “felt so depressed that it was difficult to function.” While 34.3 percent of EMU students confessed to suffering from it in the ‘10/’11 survey, the national average came in at 28.4 percent in ‘09/’10.
Similarly, strong feelings of anxiety, anger and loneliness were more common among Eastern students the same year.
Eric Ward, program coordinator of Eastern’s Wellness Center, said he couldn’t put his finger on the exact root of the problem.
“It’s hard to say what caused every single person’s depression in that survey,” said Ward, who originally presented the data at a Board of Regents meeting two weeks ago. “Everyone has different lifestyles, scenarios … But what we can look at is the condition of Michigan.”
He went a step further than attributing the numbers to just the Midwest’s struggle. Ward took the financial backgrounds of EMU’s students into account.
“Here at Eastern, we’ve got students who have bills, might work two to three jobs, could have failed a course, dropped out of school,” Ward said.
“You see a lot more stress at schools like ours. With the University of Michigan, for example, you’re comparing apples to oranges. If students fail courses, they’re not spending their own money; their parents are probably helping them pay for it.”
Impediments to academic performance also associated with mental health were examined in the NCHA, a nationally recognized survey of health assessment by the American College Health Association.
Stress, common illnesses – cold, flu and sore throat – anxiety and sleep difficulty were among the top obstacles in the category of 10 for all students; EMU was higher than average again. The fraction in Ypsilanti that felt notably stressed was 30.8 percent; the average was only 25.4 percent.
Ward’s theory on Michigan’s struggling economy was reflected in the “work” category.
Exactly 19.1 percent of EMU surveyors recorded work was an impediment, but only 11.4 percent of national students felt the same.
Levels of substance abuse appeared to have no direct correlation with the main trends; no more than 70.9, 19.7 and 13.7 percent of Eastern students reported to using alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana within 30 days of completing the survey despite higher amounts of perceived usage.
Junior Justin Plavski said physical fitness helps keep his academic affairs in order, not drugs or alcohol.
“Sure, I’ll have a few beers occasionally, but I don’t get hammered when school doesn’t go my way,” he said. “That’s not the way to solve your problems. Taking time out to clear your head, whether you’re running alone or in a yoga group, is the way to go.”
Increases in mental health problems around campus compared to previous years are spotty, though. Certain categories have experienced a raise from 2008, including the number of students who have felt anxiety, which jumped from 51.6 to 56.3 percent. However, those who felt things were hopeless have decreased in number – 49 to 46.1 percent.
Ward and his colleagues are still pondering the story behind Eastern’s median respondent age.
“We can’t really say why the average age was 27 years old this time,” said Ward, who claimed the average age was 21 in ’08.
According to the poll, Caucasian women responded more than any other group.
The survey dates back to 2001 and is given to colleges and universities annually. Ward, speaking on behalf of the Wellness Center, said a better turnout might happen if more people are included.
“The data is like points on a graph,” he said.
“The more you get points on a graph, the more you can tell what is causing them. That’s why sending it to other people might be kind of beneficial. In theory, making it required would be great, too, but we’ll have to see.”
