Four-Year College Engineering and Computer Science Student Mental Health: Relevant Factors and Demographic Differences

• In Event: Educational Research in Transition: From Classical Methods to Machine Learning

Abstract

This study examined factors influencing changes in mental health among Engineering and Computer Science 4-year undergraduate students from their first to third year. Using a random forest analysis on a large national representative sample, the study identified the top two predictors of mental health changes as physical health and the proportion of same race students enrolled. Decomposing the analysis by race, the top predictor for the subsample of African American/Black students was the proportion of racially minoritized students in their state of study. These findings advance the literature by highlighting the potentially underemphasized impact of broader social and educational environments on mental health, and the need for targeted supportive measures that cater to the heterogeneous needs and situations of students.

Authors

• Xingchen Xu, Arizona State University

• Li Tan, Arizona State University