-Depression Among Undergraduate College

StudentsIs Education After High School Even Worth It?

Zachary Alden-Brown

According to the 2011 American College Health AssociationNational College

Health Assessments statistics, 30 percent of college students reported feeling "so
depressed that it was difficult to function at some time in the past year. My research
topic of choice is the depression of young undergraduate college students attending the
Pennsylvania State University. One might ask, how is depression related to criminology?
People who are diagnosed with depression are three times more likely than the general
public to commit a violent crime, whether that crime is robbery, a sexual offense, assault
or some other violent crime falling under this specific category(Oxford University
Study-The Guardian). Unfortunately, numerous violent crimes have become epidemics of
college campuses nationwide. Throughout my research concerning depression, among the
student body at Penn State University, I plan on covering many of the problems at hand. I
plan to not only conclude why this sort of depressive bug is spreading among college
students, but I as well want to compare and contrast the statistics regarding depression
among those who attend college after high school and those who do not attend college
after high school. I expect to be exercising my research by using a survey method that
will be distributed between two separate groups of people, (1) a random selection of 2000
individuals from 15 selected universities nationwide, and (2) a random selection of 2000
individuals from 15 selected high schools who graduated high school but did not move on
to higher education, such as college or a technical school. I expect that after conducting
this study I will be able to answer my research question: Do high school graduates
ranging from ages 17-23 experience greater depression when attending college compared
to those who do not attend college after high school. If so, why?

Literature Review: Depression Among Undergraduate College Students

The question of whether or not high school graduates experience depression at a
higher rate when attending college in comparison to those who do not attend college after
high school is one that should most definitely be a concern of all individuals that are
debating whether or not to go further with their education after high school. With this, if
one does decide to move further with higher education after high school they should be
able to recognize their depression if they are suffering from it. In an article by Amy
Sutton (2005) she states that, yes, its true; most individuals start to recognize their first
signs of depression during their college years. Sadly, the majority of those who attend
college, who have depression, aren't receiving the assistance that they need. In 2004, the
American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHANCHA)a nationwide survey of college students at two-year and four-year institutions
found that nearly 30 percent of college students reported feeling so depressed that it
was difficult to function at some time in the past year(Sutton 154). Although some
students may recognize their depression, a great majority of college students do not.
Many students with depression arent receiving the help they need because the majority
of college students arent actually aware that they have the illness at all and confuse it
with their everyday stress.
Clearly, students arent receiving the help necessary to treat their depressive
symptoms, but exactly how many? As previously stated, The American College Health
Association organized what was known as the ACHA-NCHA, the largest widespread data
set reflecting the mental health of college students, with a sample size of over 160,000

students at 274 different colleges and universities (Depression Survey 406). In Spring of
2004 ACHA-NCHA Reference Group Report reveals that 14.9 percent of students
reported that they had been diagnosed with depression. Of the 14.9 percent of students
who reported having ever been diagnosed with depression, 25.2 percent said they are
currently treating their depression. As stated before, nearly 30 percent of college students
reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function at some time in the past
year. Ive broken down these percentages into solid number to better understand how
many individuals are aware of their depression versus how many individuals are doing
something about it. There is an overall sample size of 160,000 students and of that sample
48,000 students claim theyre depressed. Of those 48,000 students, 23,840 claim that
theyre diagnosed with depression. Out of those 23,840 students clinically depressed,
only 6007 are receiving therapy. Thats equivalent to a total of just 3 percent of our entire
sample and 12.5 percent of those claiming to be depressed that are currently treating their
depression. There is an obvious explanation here; students arent receiving the help
necessary to treat their depressive symptoms.
Its evident now that a great portion of college students are suffering from
depression, even if one doesnt realize it, but what isnt clear yet is why these particular
students are developing depression in the first place. Many students claim that its the
enormous workload and the vicious cycle of procrastination that follows the workload.
Some individuals say its because they dont receive enough sleep, or in contrast sleep too
much. Many claim its because of colleges easy access to and freedom of alcohol
consumption and drug use, along with the social influence of partying thats attached to
it. Actually, all of these play apart in depression among college students. In a study

conducted by Lamis, Malone, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, and Ellis (2010), they examined

the relationships among three risk factors; body investment, drug use, and alcohol use
among college students, and how these three factors could also potentially lead to suicide.
They note in the beginning of their study that the suicide rate among young adults has
nearly tripled since the 1950s being the third leading causes of death in people from ages
18-24 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). The study was concluded that
out of the three risk factors, alcohol was the greatest risk factor associated with suicide
and depression, especially in college students ranging from ages 18-24. More than 1/3 of
college students are abusing alcohol, something that has previously been highly related to
depression, especially among young adults (Eisen 455). Also, the study concluded that
body image, or body investment, was the least of the three risk factors being associated
with depression and suicide. While body image was the least of the three risk factors
associated with depression and suicide, more recent studies have proven that low selfesteem and self-image can put an individual at higher-risk for depression (Lopez, 115).
In an additional study, relative to depression development, offered by Brooks,
Peggy, Girgenti, and Mills (2009), researchers provide evidence that supports the idea of

undergraduate college students being a particular population that is greatly affected by

sleep struggles. Although their sample population was limited to a little under 200 people,
the concluding data accumulated after the surveying suggested that there is in fact a
connection between lack of sleep and an individuals mental health. Sleep struggles are
particularly associated with depression and not only among college students, but among
older adults as well (Journal of American College Health, 376). Lastly, in a previous
study that compared two larger institutions with the two smaller institutions, individuals

attending the larger institutions were significantly more likely to experience depression,
mostly due to grade complications. Students attending the community college were
more likely to have a local support network because the vast majority of these students
lived in the local community and did not have to relocate to attend college. Being a part
of the community may be a mitigating factor against depression(Furr 99).
Although weve identified how many individuals are depressed in college based
on numerous amounts of previous studies and research, I finally ran into a gap with my
research topic. Previous research provides great evidence that a large portion of college
students are depressed and offers endless explanations of why, but no where does past
research compare and contrast statistics regarding depression among those who attend
college after high school and those who do not attend college after high school. So, the
first step I took was questioning the idea of why people dont attend college in the first
place. Many of ideas came to mind such as, financial instability, family issues, other
interests, etc. but one in particular stood out to me; high school dropouts.
In a study conducted by Quiroga, Janosz, Bisset and Morin (2013), researchers
examined the mediation process by linking depression symptoms, self-perceived
academic capability, and self-reported accomplishments in 7th graders to dropping out of
school later on in life. After following 493 students that matched their criteria, 228 girls
and 265 boys, for 6 years, nearly 34% of participants dropped out of school during this
period (Quiroga 552). Following their study they found that the depression symptoms
that were self-reported in 7th graders increased the students risk of dropping out of school
before graduating high school. They also discovered that the correlation between
depression symptoms and school dropout was mediated by a students self-perceptions

of their academic capabilities. After reviewing this study, I noticed a shift in my original
hypothesis. I noticed that instead of depression being a result of college, depression could
be a result of the individual, much prior to ever being able to attend college. I also
realized that even if college plays a huge role in depression, depression could play a huge
role in an individuals life because they werent able to attend college, for a number of
reasons but specifically not finishing high school.
Why is it that adolescents develop depression? Is it because of growing up with
financial instability, domestic issues, or other personal complications? Or might it be that
they dont develop depression at all and simply are born with it? In a study lead Brown
(1995) presents a social perspective to the genetics of depression. Throughout his study
Brown covers multiple topics; Heterogeneity of depression, comparative population
perspective, depression differences between twins, and how the environment in which we
live it can be an outcome variable for depression as well. He begins by stating, Almost,
all genetic research on depression, until recent work with the Virginia Twin Register, has
been based on 'non-neurotic' conditions seen in inpatient settings. While these have
provided firm evidence for genetic effects, they are not relevant for the bulk of depressive
disorders(Brown 387).

Proposed Research Design

After much evaluation of the previous research conducted on post high school
graduate depression in young adults, I noticed that there was a lot of research based upon
individuals attending college. My research question is, do high school graduates ranging
from ages 17-23 experience greater depression when attending college compared to those
who do not attend college after high school and if so, why? Based on the existing

research done on college depression there was not any available research in contrast
about young adults who do not attend college. The closest I came to finding information
relative to this particular contrast was the review of an extensive analyses of suicide
prevalence rates among college students published by Schwartz and Whitaker (1990),
who examined the research on college student suicide rates over a 60-year period (1928
1988) at 12 different colleges and universities. With this research, Schwartz and Whitaker
were able to conclude that a greater number of individuals who did not attend college
committed suicide than those who did. Although the suicide rate is greater among those
who do not attend college after high school, it is unclear whether we can conclude that
the depression rate is greater as well, considering suicide is not always a result of
depression and that depression doesnt always lead to suicide. Based on the lack of
research conducted on depression among high school graduates that did not attend
college, I truly believe that it is crucial we conduct research that draws a conclusion to
this very concerning issue.
My research topic consists of two subjects, those who attend college after high
school and those who dont. I have three ultimate goals while conducting my deductive
research: (1) to explain why depression is greater in one group of individuals rather than
the other, (2) to give those that are graduating high school a better understanding of the
pros and cons of higher education before they make a confirmed decision on their future,
and (3) to bring awareness to such an ignored but severe and frequent mental disorder
among young adults worldwide. By bringing awareness to young adults about the
severities of depression, I believe that serious issues such as suicide, high crime rates and
poor academic performance are all problems that can be majorly reduced. My hypothesis

of the research I am conducting is, young adults between the ages of 17-23 who attend
college after high school are more frequently depressed than those who do not attend
college.
I plan on testing my research hypothesis by using a survey design. Throughout my
evaluation of previous research on depression among young adults, it has become
obvious that the best way to conduct large samples of individuals that are providing a
very personal answer about a mental disorder is through a survey design. Although I am
aiming to reach two specific groups of people, I want to try and survey as broad a base of
people as I can, to keep the end results distributed as fair as possible. Also, though I have
an idea of what the statistics of my survey design should look like, I plan to discuss with
a professional about the statistics of my survey research design. This way, I know what
number and type of responses I need to make it a valid survey and avoid imprecise
results.
The anonymous surveys would be given to two separate groups of people, (1) a
random selection of 2000 individuals from 15 selected universities nationwide, and (2) a
random selection of 2000 individuals from 15 selected high schools who graduated high
school but did not move on to higher education, such as college or a technical school.
Multiple control variables would be considered, such as whether the subject is male or
female, what year of college they are in, details about their family backgrounds, whether
they abuse any substances or not, if they have previously been enrolled in a higher
education at one point in time, if they enlisted in the military after high school, etc. I
would measure subjects level of depression by using a basic scale system from levels of
emotion feelings in multiple categories from (1-10). Once the surveys are returned for

evaluation, my strategy will be to compare depression rates among the two groups as well
as considering control variables to discover the reasoning behind why certain subjects
feel depressed and why some subjects do not. Ideally, I would want to follow up with the
different subject groups, providing a similar to see if high or low levels of fluctuation
occurred in the statistical side of my survey data over a set period of time.
I have a great deal of confidence that the results of this research project will be
beneficial, not only to the subjects that participate in taking my survey, but the entire
young adult community. More often than less, depression is responsible for the suicide
of an individual. The suicide rate among young adults has nearly tripled since the 1950s
being the third leading causes of death in people from ages 18-24 (Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2010). Considering that my research is concentrated on young
adults, ranging from ages 17-23, bringing awareness about depression to both groups,
those who attend and dont attend college after high school, is very necessary. Sadly, the
majority of individuals who have depression aren't receiving the assistance that they
need. The reason the majority of college students arent receiving the help they need is
because most college students dont actually realize they have the illness and confuse it
with the usual everyday stress of college. Plus, a lot of students are worried that they are
going to be judged or considered abnormal for seeking mental health care. Depression
is a severe mental sickness and the depressive bug has spread to more and more young
adults over the years whether in college or not, but through my research I want to
discover who depression is targeting, why its happening, and how we can prevent it.

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