Rising Mental Health Needs in College Students: A Growing Concern for Counseling Centers

A new study highlights the urgent need for prevention and intervention strategies to address the rising mental health concerns among college students. According to the research, which was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Prioritized Key Project of The 14th Five-year Plan of Education And Science in Jiangsu Province, the number of college students in need of treatment for depressive symptoms far outweighs the resources of most counseling centers. The study aimed to explore the associations between self-efficacy, e-health literacy, and depressive symptoms to guide college students in adopting preventive measures and potential interventions for managing depressive symptoms.

Key Takeaways:

• The prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students in Nantong City was found to be 50.29%.
• Higher self-efficacy and e-health literacy were significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms.
• e-Health literacy partially mediated the association between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms, accounting for 26.6% of the total effect.
• Improving self-efficacy and e-health literacy was associated with reducing depressive symptoms, with e-health literacy partially mediating the relationship between self-efficacy and depressive symptoms.
• Interventions for college students should focus on enhancing both self-efficacy and e-health literacy to help alleviate depressive symptoms.
• The study recommended that counseling centers establish prevention and intervention strategies for college students, including enhancing self-efficacy and e-health literacy.

Statistics:

• 1500 students were randomly recruited from two universities in Nantong City from May to December 2020.
• 1388 valid questionnaires were collected.
• 26.6% of the total effect of self-efficacy on depressive symptoms was mediated by e-health literacy.
• 50.29% of college students in the sample exhibited depressive symptoms.
• 1.9 million college students in Japan experience mental health issues annually (Source: Japan, Ministry of Education and Science, 2020).
• 30% of college students in the United States experience depression each year (Source: American College Health Association, 2020).

Sources:

• BMC Psychology (https://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpsychol)
• The effects of self-efficacy and e-health literacy on depressive symptoms in Chinese college students: a cross-sectional survey study. (BMC Psychology, 2025,13(1):1-12)
• https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03189-8