Parents with a child striving for a coveted college diploma or degree understand the tremendous amount of pressure placed upon post-secondary students. Higher education takes a financial, emotional, and physical toll on even the most resilient of students, so how can parents ensure that their young adult child’s mental health is protected?
Causes of poor student mental health
Before we can know how to best address the poor mental health of post-secondary students, it’s important to be able to understand why students are feeling high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and substance use. What’s more, 75% of mental health issues are diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 24, which includes the vast majority of post-secondary students.1
Most commonly, post-secondary students struggle with their mental health due to a variety of issues, including:
- Financial stress, e.g. tuition, textbooks, student loans & debt, and the cost of living
- Burnout due to work overload
- Anxiety about the future, e.g. acceptance to graduate school and available career opportunities
- Pressure to succeed in an academically competitive environment
- Perceived incompetence in one or more subjects
- Relationship issues
As your young adult child prepares for their professional career, the amount of time, energy, and money invested in their education can feel overwhelming and daunting. As a result, some students who don’t have access to mental health care might succumb to their stress, anxiety, and depression by using harmful coping mechanisms, such as substance use, isolation, and withdrawal. If left untreated, these mental health issues can lead to poor physical health and academic performance, not to mention unhappiness and a lack of fulfillment, which should never be part of your child’s higher education.
Barriers to mental health care
Since college and university-aged students are already the most susceptible to mental health issues, they need additional support to ensure that their well-being is protected. A 2023 study found that over 60% of Ontario post-secondary students reported that they either didn’t have positive mental health or the coping strategies necessary to deal with life’s pressures and demands.1 These findings indicate that even though students acknowledge their struggle with mental health, it’s challenging for them to improve it without appropriate resources and support.
Among the many reasons why students felt as though they couldn’t access mental health care, five main barriers included1:
- Insufficient resources
- Financial
- Long wait times
- Stigma & Cultural
- Past negative experiences
Ways to improve access to mental health care
In relation to the first barrier mentioned, the greatest number of students reported a lack of awareness and support provided by post-secondary institutions.1 To that end, colleges and universities are in an opportune position to ameliorate the mental health of their students with proactive measures. Post-secondary schools can help their students by offering information on mental health and where to access specialized counselling to address a variety of concerns.
Whether on-campus counselling or referrals to third-party mental health services are offered, it’s recommended that parents consider any hesitations their child might have when suggesting counselling. Firstly, explore your insurance policy’s extended health benefits to see if it includes therapy for your dependents. Typically, dependents who are full-time students under the age of 25 will be covered under most insurance plans, which will greatly reduce or eliminate your out-of-pocket expenses.
Secondly, be mindful that a student’s hectic schedule might interfere with accessing regular counselling, so providing flexible options, such as online therapy, can encourage your child to speak with a counsellor on their terms, even from the comfort of your home. Also, try to enlist the services of a counsellor who is available sooner than later so that your child doesn’t have to struggle with their mental health for any longer than necessary.
Thirdly, if your child has negative misconceptions about how you, the rest of your family, and their friends will react to finding out that they are in therapy, reassure them that regular mental health visits are just as acceptable as getting a physical check-up from a physician or teeth cleaning from a dentist. Continuously reinforce the idea that seeking mental health support is not something to be ashamed of; instead, refer to speaking with a counsellor as an admirable and mature decision.
Lastly, if your young adult child has had a negative experience with a counsellor in the past, either they didn’t feel heard, understood, or accepted, explain that not every counsellor has the necessary expertise to address their unique concerns. This might especially be the case if the college/university’s on-campus counsellors are still in training and are students themselves or your child unwittingly accessed peer counselling via online chat. Another option is to suggest online group therapy so that your child doesn’t feel the pressure of speaking one-on-one with a counsellor, and would appreciate hearing that they aren’t alone in their thoughts and feelings.
Give your child the mental health support they need
As parents of post-secondary students, it isn’t always clear how to care for a child in need of mental health support. However, if they are showing signs of stress, anxiety, depression, or substance use, the best thing you can do for them is to acknowledge their struggle, normalize the idea of speaking with a counsellor, and refer them to a qualified mental health service provider.
Sometimes it’s difficult for children, even if they are young adults, to ask for support, so it helps to have parents who are willing to have an open conversation about mental health. If they’re not ready to speak with a professional but you still want to address your concerns about their well-being, find time to regularly speak with your young adult children about how they’re feeling – just remember to stay objective and non-judgmental.
Learn more about online counselling for a variety of mental health issues facing post-secondary students by visiting: https://homewoodhealth.com/home/services/therapyathome/