University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

A university-specific training program to increase faculty and staff knowledge, comfort, and skills to address student mental health: An instrumental mixed-methods case study

Rhoades, Kathryn L

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RHOADES-DISSERTATION-2024.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125496

Description

Title
A university-specific training program to increase faculty and staff knowledge, comfort, and skills to address student mental health: An instrumental mixed-methods case study
Author(s)
Rhoades, Kathryn L
Issue Date
2024-04-17
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Khuri, Lydia
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Khuri, Lydia
Committee Member(s)
  • Rounds, James
  • Hopson, Rodney
  • Gobin, Robyn
Department of Study
Educational Psychology
Discipline
Educational Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
university, college, mental health, training program, faculty, staff, student, knowledge, comfort, skills
Abstract
For over a decade, U.S. universities and colleges have faced a student mental health crisis, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Copeland et al., 2021; Fu & Cheng, 2017; Lipson et al., 2022; Sapadin & Hollander, 2021; Scofield & Locke, 2022; Xiao et al., 2017; Zhai & Du, 2020). As a result, college counseling centers have struggled to meet the demand for intervention (Arnett, 2000; Auerbach et al., 2018; Ebert et al., 2019; Kraft, 2011; Landberg et al., 2019; Xiao et al., 2017). A recent approach entails universities recruiting non-mental health faculty and staff to help share the responsibility of student mental health care by teaching them basic mental health intervention (Carpini et al., 2020; Cimini et al., 2014; Halladay et al., 2022; Reiff et al., 2019). Minimal research exists, however, on such programs’ effectiveness. This mixed-methods, instrumental case study contributes to examining this burgeoning higher education trend by focusing on one program designed to increase participants’ knowledge, comfort and skills related to student mental health, the Faculty and Staff Mental Health Ambassador Program (FSMHAP). Quantitative pre-training and post-training surveys were designed to capture participants' demographic information and subjective perceptions of their knowledge, comfort, and skills before and after the program. Using quantitative data from 49 participants, Wilcoxon signed rank tests showed significant increases in three areas after the training: comfort supporting students (Z = 4.2, p < .001, r = .60), comfort making referrals to campus resources (Z = 4.3, p< .001, r = .62), and skills to address student mental health (Z = 2.9, p = .003, r = .42). While there was an increase in average student mental health knowledge, this change was insignificant (Z = 1.5, p = 0.16, r = 0.22). Multiple linear regressions were used to test if changes in post-training scores were predicted by demographic variables after controlling for baseline scores. Regressions revealed that post-training knowledge was marginally predicted by being a staff member (R² = .172, F(df) = 5.868 (2, 45), β = 5.16, p < .001***), by older age (R² = .192, F(df) = 6.346 (2, 43), β = 4.02, p = .043*), and identifying as a cisgender woman (R² = .237, F(df) = 3.429 (6, 41), β = 0.98, p = .033*). Post-training comfort level with supporting students’ mental health concerns was marginally but significantly predicted by being a staff member (R² = .346, F(df) = 313.15 (2, 44), β = 0.320, p = .054*) and post-training comfort level with referring students to campus resources was significantly predicted by identifying as bisexual (R² = .295, F(df) = 3.804 (7, 40), β = -0.863, p = .003**). Regressions for predicting post-training for skills related to student mental health were not significant for any demographic variables. Qualitative data from 115 participants were collected throughout the program using responses to training module reflection questions. Eight major themes were identified including (1) Mental Health Topics, (2) Diversity Considerations, (3) Faculty and Staff Reflections, (4) Faculty and Staff Challenges, (5) Faculty and Staff Strategies, (6) Participants’ Positive Experiences of the Training, (7) Suggestions for Program Improvement, and (8) Participants’ Perceptions of Their Needs to be Effective Ambassadors. Overall findings from qualitative data revealed that participants valued practical mental health knowledge (e.g., recognizing signs of distress, choosing interventions) and reported increases in comfort and skills related to addressing student mental health. Thematic suggestions for program improvement included incorporating more interactive simulations to practice intervening with students, having examples that model warm and empathetic language, providing more information on resources for students with marginalized identities, and having options for more advanced training. Overall, participants expressed their desires to be more observant of students, have more patience, and increase their cultural awareness to promote student well-being. Quantitative and qualitative results from this study support prior findings in the literature and indicate training programs like the FSMHAP may be an important area of investment for universities concerned with the student mental health crisis.
Graduation Semester
2024-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125496
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 Kathryn Rhoades

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