Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Health Science
First Advisor
Ranelle Nissen
Abstract
The number of college students in the United States struggling with mental health issues has increased tremendously over the past decade. Specifically, undergraduate students report stress and anxiety as significant inhibitors to academic performance. Colleges are investing resources to combat this problem, but increased counseling services are insufficient. Novel approaches beyond traditional college counseling services are recommended. Occupational therapy, not traditionally offered on most college campuses, may be one solution. A few occupational therapy programs exist on college campuses, but there is limited evidence of their efficacy, and most lack solid theoretical underpinnings. More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of theory-based occupational therapy mental health approaches for college students. This dissertation evaluated the efficacy of a telehealth-delivered occupational therapy mental health program developed using the Occupational Adaptation (OA) theoretical model. Specifically, the study assessed the effect of a 4-week occupational therapy program on relative mastery, a construct in the OA model, and perceived stress in college students. A pre-program survey was deployed to gather information regarding college students’ group program delivery modality preferences. In addition, the survey queried participants’ overall perceptions of occupational therapy interventions for mental health in general. Results from the survey informed the development and delivery of the 4-week program. The main study included an experimental pretest-posttest design to measure relative mastery and the sub-scores of efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Additionally, a repeated-measures crossover design was used to evaluate the change in participants’ perceived stress at Weeks 1, 6, and 11 of the study. In the pre-program survey, the most frequently cited perceived benefits were reduced stress and improved mental health, healthy habits, awareness of mental health/reducing stigma, and sharing with others. The most frequently identified challenges were time constraints, scheduling, and reluctance to share. The intervention showed promise at helping college students improve relative mastery and all the subscores, with a statistically significant increase from pretest to posttest. Perceived stress trended downward, but the decrease was not statistically significant. This dissertation work aimed to build evidence that examines occupational therapy mental health programs for college students.
Subject Categories
Higher Education | Mental and Social Health | Occupational Therapy
Keywords
college students, mental health, occupational therapy, telehealth
Number of Pages
155
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
Marie Nelson, Amy, "Mental Health in College Students: Efficacy of a Telehealth-Delivered Occupational Therapy Program" (2024). Dissertations and Theses. 261.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/261
Included in
Higher Education Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons