A report from the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) details mental health challenges community college students face and how they can be better supported. “Supporting Minds, Supporting Learners: Addressing Student Mental Health to Advance Academic Success” explores the data of the 2023 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) for returning students and the 2023 Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) for entering students. These included questions related to anxiety and depression as well as access to mental health resources.

Takeaways from the report include:

• When asked about the last two weeks, 60% of CCSSE respondents said they had been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things.
• Sixty-six percent reported that they had been bothered by feeling nervous, anxious or on edge.
• Thirty percent of respondents said they wouldn’t know where to go if they needed help for their mental health.
• More than half said that emotional or mental difficulties had hurt their academic performance in the previous four weeks.
• High percentages of respondents said their college made their mental health a priority, yet one in five students disagreed with this.