New report shows mental health concerns for college students
A new report finds that college students and college graduates continue to face mental health concerns. Here’s how employers can help.
The third annual UnitedHealthcare 2024 College Student and Graduate Behavioral Health Report, commissioned by UnitedHealthcare and conducted by YouGov, offers insights into behavioral health concerns for college students and college graduates, and underscores the importance of parental awareness to ensure they can recognize when their children need help and guide them toward appropriate care.
Prevalence: One of the most striking findings in the report was that, while overall incidence of mental health concerns among college students declined for the first time in 3 years dropping 10% from 2023 to 2024 — high-risk issues like eating disorders, suicidal ideation and intent, and substance abuse disorder remained relatively consistent over the 3-year period. Additionally, when compared to college students, college graduates (those aged 20-28) self-reported experiencing slightly higher rates of mental or behavioral health concerns overall but had slightly lower rates of depression and suicidal ideation and intent.
Perception gap: What’s more, the report showed that parents may not always realize what their college-age students are going through. Though the “parent-child perception gap” — difference between college students' self-reported mental or behavioral health issues and their parents' perceptions — was most narrow in 2024 (especially when compared to last year’s report, parents still underestimate the impact that mental and behavioral health issues are having on their college-age students. And between college graduates and their parents, that perception gap is more than 2 times higher compared to college students and their parents at 14% versus 6%, respectively.
| College students who self-reported experiencing a mental or behavioral health condition in the past year | Parents who reported their college-age child has experienced a mental or behavioral health condition in the past year |
Parent-child perception gap |
|
| 2022 | 69% | 53% | -16% |
| 2023 | 70% | 49% | -21% |
| 2024 | 60% | 54% | -6% |
Openness to discussing concerns and seeking help: The report also revealed that college students and college graduates are leaning on their friends for support more than one might expect. When asked what influenced them to seek help for mental or behavioral health concerns, both college students and college graduates cited that they "talked to a friend." These conversations can often serve as a catalyst and make it more likely for them to seek professional help. And, taking the step of seeking help was more common among college graduates than college students, with graduates preferring on-demand support options and students preferring in-person options.
What does this mean for employers?
Among nearly 92% of families with children, at least one parent is employed.1 That means employers have a sizeable portion of their workforce who may be concerned about the mental health of their children, including college-age students and young adults.
In fact, due to a child’s mental health, at least once a month:2
- 75% of parents missed a full or partial day of work
- 72% of parents had work interrupted
- 58% of parents felt like the quality of their work was negatively affected
- 50% felt unprepared in a meeting
- 50% fell behind on their workload
Employers can help support their employees by recognizing the concerns and challenges they may be facing as it relates to their children and providing them with the resources they need.
“Parents’ knowledge of their young adult’s mental health is crucial, as family health plans significantly impact their access to care,” says Dr. Donald Tavakoli, national medical director of behavioral health for UnitedHealthcare. “According to survey data, a little less than half of college students were still on their family's health insurance plan in the past year.”
Actions employers can take
- Provide employees with access to behavioral health benefits across a continuum of severity levels. For instance, virtual behavioral coaching or the Calm Health app may be great options for stress management or for some types of anxiety, especially for college graduates who prefer on-demand support options. In fact, approximately 50% of members who sought mental health support would’ve been good candidates for those types of lower severity solutions.3 Still, visits with a clinician may be most appropriate for issues like depression or suicide ideation, especially for college students who prefer in-person support options.
- Deploy regular communications to help ensure employees are aware of and actively utilize the behavioral health benefits that are made available to them and their high school, college-age and young adult children — many at no additional cost. In fact, when asked about reasons for not seeking mental or behavioral health support, upperclassman in college and recent college graduates were more than twice as likely to cite cost as a deterrent. However, many employee assistance programs (EAPs) and student health insurance plans offer free virtual visits.
- Work to reduce the stigma that still exists around mental health issues by building a workplace culture that acknowledges and regularly discusses mental health issues and encourages parents to have similar conversations at home. Tavakoli adds, “The Student Behavioral Health Report shows that parents and trusted peers can make a meaningful impact on students’ experiences, with more frequent discussions about their mental and behavioral health correlating with higher rates of feeling supported and taking positive action.”
Share
