Journal of American College Health

Objective: This study examined college students’ current physical activity (PA) beliefs and behaviors, as well as the perceived influence of their adolescent experiences on their current PA habits. Participants: 156 college students (M age = 19.88 years, Male n = 27, Female n = 128) attending a mid-sized midwestern public university. Methods: Students reported on current PA behaviors/beliefs and recollections of adolescent experiences (age 12-18) through surveys (n = 156) and focus groups (n = 17). Linear regression analyses examined whether adolescent experiences (parent support, friend support, physical education experiences, community support) and current perceptions (enjoyment, self-efficacy, and friend support) were associated with current PA. Thematic analyses qualitatively explored participants’ perceptions. Results: Quantitative results revealed only current enjoyment, self-efficacy, and friend support were significantly associated with current PA (R2=0.34, p < 0.001). However, qualitative analysis revealed lasting influences of adolescent experiences, particularly social experiences with friends, parental support, and community resources. Conclusions: Findings indicate that while college students’ physical activity is more strongly influenced by current self-efficacy, enjoyment, and friend support, positive adolescent experiences may indirectly shape ongoing attitudes and perceptions toward physical activity. Keywords: Adolescence, college students, enjoyment,friend support, physical activity, transition

Objective: this study examined how bicultural stress affects depressive, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder (aUD) symptoms in first-year hispanic/latinx college students, and whether familism moderates these effects. Method: Using the data from the Pathways to college health study, 264 self-identifying hispanic/latinx first-year students (74.9% woman) at a large public hispanic-serving university in the southwest completed online surveys in 2020 or 2021. Results: Results from hierarchical multiple regression models showed that higher levels of bicultural stress were associated with more depressive and anxiety symptoms but not associated with aUD symptoms. Familism was not associated with depressive, anxiety, or aUD symptoms and did not moderate the associations between bicultural stress and these outcomes. Discussion: these findings highlight the impact of bicultural stress on mental health outcomes and suggest familism may not play a substantial role in hispanic/latinx college students internalizing and aUD symptoms.

Objective: To explore how forgiveness relates to psychological distress and suicidality among college student problematic drinkers. Participants: 383 college students (ages 18 to 25). Methods: Participants provided demographic information and completed self-report questionnaires. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics, including Hayes PROCESS macro for testing indirect effects. Results: Psychache, but not depression or hopelessness, significantly played an indirect role in the relationship between forgiveness and suicidality. Higher levels of each of forgiveness of self and of uncontrollable situations were associated with lower levels of psychache and in turn lower levels of suicidality. Conversely, forgiveness of others was linked to higher levels of psychache and suicidality. Conclusions: These results underscore the complexity of the relationship between forgiveness, psychological distress, and suicidality, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions. Further research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms driving the adverse effects of forgiveness of others.

Objective: To better understand college students’ perceptions of animal product consumption, this study’s purpose was to examine associations between student characteristics and attitudes toward red meat, dairy consumption, and plant-based alternatives. Participants: The participants were a stratified random sample of 5,300 students from Kansas State University, with 528 fully completed surveys, representing a 10% completion rate. Methods: A 25-item survey assessed demographics and perceptions, with data dimensionality reduced using principal component analysis (PCA), revealing five factors. Linear regressions identified associations between student characteristics and attitudes. Results: Most respondents were female (67%), aged 18–25 years (89%), white (87%), late undergraduates (53%), and omnivorous (92%). College affiliation (p < .01) and self-reported dietary eating patterns (p < .05) were consistently associated with perceptions of red meat and dairy. Race/ethnicity (p < .01), agricultural knowledge (p < .05), and population size (p < .01) also showed significant associations with specific perceptions of red meat and dairy. Conclusions: Students affiliated with the College of Agriculture and those with omnivorous diets had more positive views on red meat and dairy compared to others. Despite trends toward plant-based diets, students at this land-grant institution generally viewed red meat and dairy positively.

Objective: This study explores student perceptions of their academics and mental health during their participation in the College-Focused Rapid Rehousing (CFRRH) program. Participants: Nineteen students at two universities in California from diverse backgrounds participated in the study. Methods: In-depth interviews were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Results: Findings centered around three themes: (1) Students in CFRRH have backgrounds characterized by precarity; (2) Mental health recovery once stably housed is a complex process; and (3) Stable housing helps students focus on academics. Conclusions: The results provide insight into the types of nuanced experiences students face before and after they received assistance from CFRRH.

Objectives: Major disasters impose existential challenges and researchers have called for investigation of protectors (e.g., hope, spirituality) and further examination of mental health among Black and White student volunteers. This longitudinal study validated spirituality measures and tested a hypothetical model of depression among volunteers after deadly hurricanes. Participants: Two-wave, survey data were collected via a purposive sample at three- and six-months post-disaster (N = 201; Age = 30.38, female = 91%, Black students = 38.8%). Methods: Bayesian structural equation modeling (Bayesian-SEM) was employed to address both the small Wave-2 sample and the dichotomized depression measure. Results: High proportions of respondents met symptom bars approaching clinical depression in both waves. As expected, hope had a suppressing effect on Waves 1-&-2 depression and mediated the opposite roles of peritraumatic emotions on both. Prayer coping mediated positive paths from Black participants. Conclusion: Bayesian-SEM results reinforced the lasting protection of hope against post-disaster depression and indicated greater reliance on spirituality to cope among Black student volunteers.