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Online education offers an opportunity for students who face challenges that prevent them from attending traditional courses. Unfortunately, students may be impacted by issues such as social isolation, anxiety, and feelings of loneliness. Students may be unaware of how to access help for those concerns. An exploratory descriptive survey was conducted to study students’ mental health concerns related to online education and their knowledge of available resources. Participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous. Demographic, qualitative, and quantitative data were collected.The majority of the 246 participants were 34 years old or younger, assigned female at birth, and White or Caucasian. Most participants had taken or were currently taking five to ten or more fully online classes. Over two-thirds of participants indicated that they had not experienced changes in their mental well-being related to the lack of social connectivity and isolation from online education, and few indicated that engaging in online education caused an exacerbation of a previously diagnosed mental health condition. Notably, two-thirds of participants believe there is a stigma associated with asking for help for mental health concerns. Although a majority indicated that the stigma would not prevent them from seeking help, over half were unaware whether the university provided these services for online students, creating an opportunity for increased awareness at the university level to improve student success. Recommendations for proposed solutions and educational programs are discussed.
Knight et al. (Wed,) studied this question.