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Male college students can be less likely than their peers to engage with mental health professionals or other support services on campus.
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Today’s college students report higher levels of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress and suicidal ideation, which can impact their academic achievement and their completion of a credential or a degree.
While male students are slightly less likely than their female or nonbinary peers to report mental health challenges, they are more likely to hold negative views of help-seeking and associate masculinity with being emotionless, independent or tough.
Colleges and universities can help break barriers to mental health care for male students by normalizing conversations around mental health, establishing role models and providing holistic support.
By the numbers: Higher education has seen a decline in male student enrollment over the past decade, with men making up 44 percent of all 18- to 24-year-old college students in 2022, three percentage points lower than in 2011, according to the Pew Research Center
Nationally, young men are less likely than young women to say they rely on their parents for emotional support a great deal or a fair amount (27 percent, compared to 35 percent of women), according to another Pew research study. Young men are also less likely to say they’re in regular communication with their parents, whether that’s sending text messages, talking on the phone or video call, or an in-person interaction.
Loneliness has risen as a health concern across the county, as well, with young people reporting they lack companionship and often feel isolated from others. Additional attention has been placed on male loneliness due to a growing number of American men who say they have no close friends.
Six in 10 Americans say people in the U.S. don’t place enough value on men who are caring or open about their emotions.
Efforts to retain young men in higher education often center around creating community and belonging. One common intervention is creating a barbershop environment for young men of color to connect in an informal way, establishing opportunities for vulnerability and help-seeking.
Survey Says
A May 2024 Student Voice survey found male students reported better mental health compared to their female and nonbinary peers, with 49 percent saying their mental health was good or excellent, compared to 40 percent of female students and 18 percent of nonbinary learners.
Men were also more likely to say their overall well-being (57 percent), ability to care for themselves (64 percent) and their ability to effectively manage stress (50 percent) were good or excellent.
Finding the root: Social learning theory can be one frame to view the challenges of addressing male mental health, says Kurt Michael, senior clinical adviser at the Jed Foundation.
“Our models, those people who we observe, those people who we are most likely to copy or imitate, [depend] on how we perceive how similar they are to us,” Michael says. “And so if we have a preponderance of models in our world, in our life, that don’t demonstrate empathy or openness to discussing emotions or talking about emotions … it’s going to potentially influence the way you think and the way you behave.”
In today’s climate, popular influences have pushed stereotypes of hypermasculine values and beliefs that may hinder a person’s willingness to seek help or their perspective on how to help themselves.
Put into practice: Institutional leaders can take steps to combat harmful ideas of masculinity.
- Raise up role models. Positive influences can encourage healthy behaviors among young men, including valuing empathy and openness to discussing emotions. “If we observe people in our environment that are doing the things that we value, showing empathy, valuing community, valuing connection … these particular behaviors, these kinds of values, these perceptions and beliefs are reinforced and are valued,” Michael says.
- Encourage reflection and agency. Previous research shows that asking college students to reflect on behaviors, such as drinking, can reduce harmful habits by empowering students to make their own choices and consider their own agency, Michael shares. Similar interventions may help young men, compared to punitive or negative approaches.
- Introduce preventative care. Upstream approaches can reduce the number of men who experience negative mental health consequences, including education on sleep hygiene, physical activity and nutrition, Michael says.
- Look beyond the surface. “Stereotypically, anyway, men are good at stoicism and hiding things,” Michael says, so practitioners should consider how external indicators of distress, including misusing substances or acting aggressively, could point to other challenges in a student’s life. “We actually help reinforce those stereotypes [of men’s mental health] … because we’re only really addressing what’s obvious; we’re not really going to the trouble to ask what’s not so obvious, or what’s under the surface,” he adds.
- Share resources holistically. When discussing men’s health issues, popular culture can also focus on sexual performance and attractiveness compared to emotional health or social connection, which can also further isolate men from health resources when they need it. College counseling centers or other student health organizations can help bridge this gap by creating or providing specialized supports for men regarding mental and emotional health.
- Embed counselors. Providing students with mental health therapists in residence halls can create better access for all students and normalize help-seeking, reducing harmful stigmas.
Do you have a wellness tip that might help others encourage student success? Tell us about it.
