Bishop Wellness Center
2021 and 2024 Healthy Minds Study Results
In August 2021, Willamette University officially joined the JED Campus Initiative, a 4-year evidence based program designed to cultivate a campus community that fosters emotional wellness and works towards suicide prevention. The JED Campus Committee at Willamette University has been following the JED Campus strategic timeline and the JED Foundation’s Comprehensive Suicide Prevention framework.
Several assessments were implemented to better understand Willamette’s current scope of services and resources, and students’ experiences with mental health, in general. This process included:
- A comprehensive self assessment
- Administration of the Healthy Minds Study in November, 2021,
- A campus visit from our JED Foundation Campus Partners in March, 2022, that included interviews with several campus constituents and student focus groups.
- A second Healthy Minds Study in October, 2024.
Healthy Minds Study
The Healthy Minds Study (HMS) collects information about the mental health and wellbeing of
college students utilizing validated psychometric tools. The instrument provides insights into
the experiences of respondents in the areas of:
- anxiety,
- depression,
- eating disorders,
- loneliness,
- suicidality, and
- self-injurious behavior.
Willamette administered two Healthy Mind studies over the course of the 4 year JED project; the first in November of 2021 and the second in October of 2024. Both surveys yielded a 37% response rate.
Important Takeaways from the 2021 and 2024 Surveys
- The results from both the 2021 and 2024 surveys are consistent with the experiences of our student CARE teams, faculty and staff partners, and staff in Bishop Wellness Center.
- The outcomes are aligned with what is being reported by our peer institutions.
- We have good representation across most demographics and identities (but note that “good representation” does not mean the results are clearly “representative,” as explained below).
- There are several reasons for optimism in the outcomes:
- Generally speaking, there are some notable improvements in overall student wellness between the 2021 and 2024 survey administrations.
- The percentage of students reporting high levels of depression have decreased from 54% to 38%.
- The percentage of students reporting high levels of anxiety have decreased from 46% to 33%.
- The percentage of students reporting that they are “flourishing” increased from 25% to 32%.
- The percentage of students that “often lacked companionship” decreased from 30% to 19% between the 2021 and 2024 surveys.
- The percentage of students that “often felt isolated” decreased from 37% to 26% between the 2021 and 2024 surveys.
- Willamette students know how to access resources, and they trust that these resources are effective.
- 71 % of respondents had not consumed any illicit drugs in the previous 30 days in the most recent survey.
- Reported drug and alcohol use decreased between the 2021 and 2024 surveys.
- Our strong response rates are reflective of a community that cares deeply about health and wellness. Our JED Campus Partner and staff at HMS asked us to share our promotion strategies, as our 37% response rates were the strongest of any school with which they have worked.
Data Collection and Findings
Invitations to complete the Healthy Minds Studies were sent to all enrolled students in all colleges and degree programs registered for Fall term, 2021 and Fall term, 2024. Our response rates varied from question to question; but, at its highest level, there were 817 responses in 2021 and 929 responses in 2024, which represent 37.1% and 36.9% of the population of students invited to respond, respectively.(1).
Representation was again similar across the two surveys, with a slightly higher percentage of undergraduate students responding in 2024. In both surveys, 4% stated they were in an Associate’s program. Because Willamette does not offer an Associate’s degree, our best guess is that these may have been transfer students or first or second year students that may have misinterpreted the question.
Nevertheless, there are important cautions about how to read and interpret the results:
- We cannot know if the sample of Willamette students is representative of the overall student population for Fall 2021. Interpretations should be framed as, “Given those who responded, we know that a minimum of X respondents (which represents Y% of the sample) answered Question “A” with “B” response (e.g., “613 of those who responded (75% of the sample of N=817) answered the “Degree Program” question saying they were pursuing a Bachelor's degree.”)
- Any generalizations - either about our own population or about our own population in comparison to others - should be interpreted with considerable caution, given both the limitations on our data noted previously and differences in the types of schools aggregated at the national level (e.g., large state schools are lumped together with small, private liberal arts schools; large schools often have much lower response rates; etc.)
More specific results from the Healthy Minds Study can be found below:
Demographics
- Respondents were able to endorse more than one category in their responses, which is why the sum of the percentages total more than 100%. Overall responses were mostly consistent with the makeup of Willamette University. 84% of the respondents in 2021 and 85% of the respondents in 2024 were White or Caucasian, 12% of the respondents in 2021 and 14% of the respondents in 2024 were Hispanic/Latino/a, 10% of the respondents in both 2021 and 2024 were Asian/Asian American, 3% of the respondents in 2021 and 5% of the respondents in 2024 were African American/Black, 2% of the respondents in both 2021 and 2024 were American Indian/Alaskan Native, 2% of the respondents in 2021 and 1% of the respondents in 2024 were Arab//Middle eastern or Arab American, 1% were Pacific Islander in both surveys, and 2% identified as “Other” in both surveys.
- This instrument allowed us to gather gender data across a continuum of gender identity. Representation was similar across the 2021 and 2024 surveys. 47% of respondents in 2021 and 46% of respondents in 2024 identified as female, 39% identified as male in 2021 and 41% in 2024, and 14% identified as “Other” in 2021 and 13% in 2024 (Trans man/Trans woman, Genderqueer/Gender nonconforming, Gender non-binary, or “self-identify”).
- The Healthy Minds Study asked about sexual orientation. There were some notable differences here between the 2021 and 2024 surveys. 44% of the respondents identified as Heterosexual in 2021 compared to 30% in 2024. 28% identified as Gay/Lesbian in 2021, compared to 13% in 2024. 17% identified as Queer in 2021, compared to 16% in 2024, 12% identified as Bisexual in 2021, compared to 20% in 2024, 6% identified as Questioning in 2021, compared to 4% in 2024, and 8% identified as “Other” in 2021, compared to 17% in 2024.
Mental Health Concerns
- The percentage of respondents that report moderate to severe depression symptoms at the time of the survey administration as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).2 decreased from 54% in the 2021 study to 38% in the 2024 study.
- The percentage of respondents that reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety at the time of the survey administration as measured by the GAD-7.3decreased from 46% in 2021 to 33% in the 2024 survey.
- To screen for those who may be at risk for an eating disorder the HMS survey utilizes the SCOFF questionnaire (a five item self-report measure). Using a cut-off score of 3 or higher suggests about one in four respondents (27% in the 2021 survey and 25% in the 2024 survey) may be at risk for an eating disorder.4
- In the 2021 survey, 57% of respondents had not consumed any alcohol in the previous 30 days (or, approximately 465 of 2201 students overall.). In the 2024 survey, 59% of students had not consumed any alcohol in the previous 30 days.
In the 2021 survey, 42% of students affirmed some level of marijuana use in the previous 30 days. In the 2024 survey, that number decreased to 28% Reported use of other substances was very low in both survey administrations. For example, 1% of respondents affirmed some level of cocaine use in the previous 30 days, 2% affirmed psilocybin use, and 1% affirmed the use of benzodiazepines without a prescription in 2021 and 2024. Overall, 57% of respondents in 2021 and 68% of the respondents in 2024 reported no drug use at all in the previous 30 days. - Non suicidal self injury (NSSI) is intentionally injuring oneself without the intent to end one’s life. Examples include cutting, burning, punching oneself, rubbing sharp objects on skin, etc. The percentage of respondents endorsing NSSI decreased between the 2021 study and the 2024 study; 43% and 38% respectively.
Regarding suicidal thoughts and behaviors; the percentage of respondents reporting that they seriously considered suicide in the past year decreased between the 2021 study and the 2024 study; 24% and 17%, respectively. However, of those respondents who endorsed suicidal thinking, a higher percentage report making a plan and attempting in the 2024 study compared to the 2021 study.
Help Seeking Behavior and Barriers
- The percentage of respondents that reported currently seeking therapy decreased from 53% in 2021 to 21% in 2024. Further, the percentage of respondents said they know where to go to seek professional help on campus increased from 81% in 2021 to 88% in 2024. 85% of the survey respondents in 2021 and 81% of the respondents in 2024 agreed to some extent with the statement “I currently need help for emotional or mental health problems or challenges such as feeling sad, blue, anxious or nervous.
Students continued to report seeking non-professional help from a number of resources in both surveys including friends, room-mates, significant others, family, religious contacts, faculty, or staff members. - Students were asked what factors caused them to receive fewer services (therapy, medication, etc) for their mental or emotional health that they would have otherwise received. Top reasons in both surveys included not enough time, financial - too expensive or not covered by insurance, difficulty finding an appointment, not sure where to go, prefer to deal with them on their own or with family/friends, people providing services won’t understand me, and privacy concerns.
Academics, Community, and Belonging
- Students were asked “In the past 4 weeks, how many days have you felt that your emotional or mental difficulties have hurt your academic performance. Fewer students in the 2024 survey endorsed a negative academic impact. Specifically, 9% of respondents reported “none” in 2021 vs. 25% in 2024, 22% reported “1-2 days” in 2021 vs. 35% in 2024, 29% reported “3-5 days”in 2021 vs. 22% in 2024, and 40% reported “6 or more days”in 2021 vs. 18% in 2024.
The survey also measured students’ subjective sense of loneliness. Specifically, students were asked:
How often they felt they lacked companionship:
- 27% responded “hardly ever” in 2021 vs. 38% in 2024
- 43% responded “some of the time” in 2021 vs. 43% in 2024
- 27% responded “often” in 2021 vs. 19% in 2024
How often they felt left out:
- 22% responded “hardly ever” in 2021 vs. 33% in 2024
- 45% responded“some of the time” in 2021 vs. 44% in 2024
- 33% responded “often” in 2021 vs. 23% in 2024
How often they felt isolated:
- 20% responded “hardly ever” in 2021 vs. 32% in 2024
- 43% responded “some of the time” in 2021 vs. 43% in 2024
- 37% responded “often” in 2021 vs. 26% in 2024
- The percentage of respondents that self identified that they are “flourishing” increased from 25% in 2021 to 32% in 2024. This is measured using The Flourishing Scale, an eight-item summary measure of the respondent's self-perceived success in important areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism (Diener, Wirtz, Tov, Kim-Prieto, Choi, Oishi, & Biswas-Diener, 2009). The score ranges from 8-56, and the instrument uses 48 as the threshold for positive mental health.
Footnotes
The HMS survey will be readministered to all Willamette students in the final year of the JED Campus partnership (academic year 2024-2025) to identify areas of growth and opportunities for continued improvement.
1Some students completed a few demographic questions at the start of the survey but replied to no mental health related questions thereafter. Their responses are excluded from Willamette’s analysis.
2Moderate or severe depression, as measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score of 10-27.
3Moderate or severe anxiety, as measured by a General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) score of 10-21.
4At risk of an eating disorder, as measured by a Sick-Control-One stone-Fat-Food (SCOFF) score of 3-5.