Campus Mental Health Climate and Structural Stressors: A Comparative Analysis of Internalizing Symptoms Among Black College Students in Predominately White Institutions and Minority-Serving Institutions

Background

Social work aims to narrow health gaps and ensure healthy development for all youth. Empirical evidence highlights the protective nature of attending minority-serving institutions (MSIs) for Black students, including a greater sense of belonging and better mental health outcomes compared to Black students at predominately white institutions (PWIs). Despite the large body of literature supporting these findings, there is a dearth of literature examining how students’ perceptions of mental health climate predict internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety), while controlling for societal-level factors. Accordingly, this study utilizes the social determinants of mental health framework (SDoMH) to (1) compare perceptions of mental health climate among Black students attending PWIs and MSIs, (2) examine differences in internalizing symptoms by institution type, and (3) investigate whether perceptions of campus mental health climate predict internalizing symptoms.

Methods

This study draws upon a subsample of Black students (N=4,168) within the 2024 Healthy Minds Study dataset. Students’ perceptions of mental health climate were measured continuously by a composite score summing six Likert-scale questions, ranging from 0 (poor) to 30 (excellent) (M=19.63). Institution type was measured dichotomously (PWI v. MSI), with 41% (n=1713) attending MSIs. Internalizing symptoms were measured by PHQ-9 (M=9.08) and GAD-7 (M=7.75) scores. The SDoMH framework guided selection of control variables, which included: encounters with racism on campus, financial stress, and sense of belonging. Data were modeled in SPSS using a series of t-tests and multiple regressions.

Results

Regarding Black students’ perception by institution type, bivariate findings indicated differences in perceptions of mental health climate scores based on institution type, t(4168)= -3.06, p<.01. Black students at MSIs had more favorable perceptions of mental health climate (M=19.94) than students at PWIs (M=19.41).

Regarding differences in internalizing symptoms by institution type, our findings revealed differences in depression scores between students at MSIs and PWIs were detected, t(4168)=2.06, p<.05. No differences in anxiety scores between students at MSIs and PWIs were noted.

Regarding perceptions of mental health campus climate predicting internalizing symptoms, analyses revealed that more favorable perceptions of mental health climate were associated with lower depression scores (B= -0.21, p<.001). Racial discrimination (B=.05, p<.001) and financial stress (B=.31, p<.001) were significant risk factors, whereas a sense of belonging served as a protective factor (B= -0.15, p<.001). Institution type was not associated with depression. Similarly, more favorable perceptions of mental health campus climate were associated with lower anxiety (B= -0.17, p<.001), while higher levels of racial discrimination (B=.07, p<.001) and financial stress (B=.32, p<.001) were associated with higher anxiety. Sense of belonging was inversely related to anxiety (B= -0.11, p<.001), while institution type was not associated with anxiety.

Conclusions/Implications

Findings indicate that Black students at MSIs reported slightly more positive perceptions of mental health climate and slightly lower scores related to depression compared to Black students at PWIs. However, social determinants (control variables) emerged as factors associated with internalizing symptoms among Black students. Findings highlight the importance of addressing systemic issues while enhancing inclusivity and culturally sensitive mental health services for Black students.