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Updated: Sep 18, 2025

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and changes in college students'
Michael S Dunbar1, Lisa Sontag-Padilla1, Abigail Torbatian1
1Department of Behavioral and Policy Sciences, RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Objective:
To examine longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and students' psychological distress and help-seeking intentions. Participants: College and university students (n = 576) across six Pennsylvania campuses were recruited in Fall 2022 and completed online surveys at baseline, 1-month, and 6-month follow-up. Methods: Separate fixed-effects regression analyses examined within-person associations between perceived campus mental health climate and psychological distress (K6) and help-seeking intentions over time, adjusting for covariates. Results: Increases in perceived campus mental health climate were associated with decreases in K6 scores (B = -0.46, SE= 0.19, p = 0.01) and increased intentions to seek help from a friend (B = 0.14, SE = 0.04, p = .0008) and mental health professional (B = 0.22, SE = 0.05, p < .0001) over time. Conclusions: Improved perceptions of campus mental health climate were associated with reductions in students' psychological distress and increases in help-seeking intentions within a single academic year.
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