Reducing Stigma, Enhancing Mental Health Literacy, and Improving Accessibility Surrounding Mental Health Resources for College Students

Abstract

Mental health is on the decline. At a community college in Southern California, 55% of students admit to suffering from anxiety, 42% have depression, and 16% have seriously considered or attempted suicide. However, less than a quarter have sought treatment due to the barriers of stigma, mental health literacy, and limited access to resources. Stigma involves hostile rhetoric, stereotypes, judgment, and a sense of undesirability that reduces self-worth, resulting in shame, inadequacy, and the discrediting belief of weakness (Brennan & Gorman, 2022; Cole & Ingram, 2019; Cuijpers et al., 2019). Limited mental health literacy encompasses misunderstandings and apprehensions about facing judgment or being misunderstood when seeking support and revealing mental health concerns (Broglia et al., 2021). Moreover, access to resources is a significant challenge; only 19.8% of 13,984 surveyed students from 19 colleges in eight countries had used mental health services in their lifetime (Bruffaerts et al., 2019). The project aims to reduce stigma, enhance mental health literacy, and improve mental health resource accessibility. A user-friendly website was developed to enhance mental health literacy and provide easy access to mental health information. On campus and through the institution's social networking sites, uniquely designed advertisements with a QR code facilitated resource access and reduced stigma. Students completed an anonymous survey assessing advertising impact, user-friendly design, and QR code utility for accessing mental health resources. Weekly visits to the mental health resources page were tracked. Appointment scheduling with counseling services was monitored. Demographic data was collected. Ultimately, outcomes confirmed the effectiveness of strategies, with significant support for advertising methods and website usability in reducing stigma, enhancing mental health literacy, and improving accessibility surrounding mental health resources for college students.