Persistent Disparities in Mental Health Service Utilization Among First-Generation College Students: Evidence from the Healthy Minds Study, 2021–2024

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Student Well-Being in University Settings

Abstract

First-generation college students experience persistent disparities in campus belonging, financial stress, and perceived access to mental health services. Drawing on repeated cross-sectional data from the Healthy Minds Study (2022-2024; N ≈ 276,000, ~18% first-generation), this study examines generational differences in therapy use and related psychosocial predictors. Descriptive analyses reveal consistent gaps in financial stress and belonging, while logistic regression models identify institutional access, discrimination, and stigma as salient predictors of therapy utilization. Notably, first- and continuing-generation students report similar therapy use despite diverging stressors. The study informs institutional strategies by identifying structural and psychosocial barriers that remain stable over time and by highlighting how institutions can better support first-generation students through targeted and equity-minded mental health interventions.

Authors

• Stephanie Bobbitt, Monmouth University

• Steven Michael Carlo, Monmouth University