Healthy Minds Study:
Examining Student Mental Health

Spring 2025

Disaggregating by Demographics

This section uses results from the Healthy Minds Study to examine how Fullerton College students experience mental health conditions, with a focus on disparities based on demographics, including:

• Race and ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Age group
• Disability status
• Financial status (based on Pell Grant), and
• College generational status.

Summary

Across all demographic dimensions examined, mental health challenges are widespread among Fullerton College students, with several groups experiencing disproportionately higher prevalence across multiple outcomes.

• Race/Ethnicity: Mental health outcomes vary substantially, with Southeast Asian and Black/African American students consistently reporting elevated prevalence across multiple indicators. Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian and American Indian/Alaska Native students show particularly high levels for specific conditions (e.g., eating disorders and self-injury).
• Gender: The largest disparities are observed by gender identity, with transgender and non-binary/genderqueer students experiencing markedly higher prevalence across nearly all mental health outcomes. Female students show elevated eating disorder–related symptoms, while male students generally report lower prevalence across indicators.
• Sexual Orientation: Mental health challenges are substantially more prevalent among LGBTQIA2S+ students, especially those identifying as pansexual, queer, bisexual, or questioning/unsure, compared to non-LGBTQIA2S+ students. Disparities are particularly pronounced for depression, anxiety, self-injury, and suicidal ideation.
• Age Group: Mental health burden is highest among students under age 30, particularly those ages 20–29, with prevalence declining steadily with age. Older students, especially those 50 and older, report substantially lower levels across nearly all outcomes.
• Disability Status: A clear gradient exists, with students with registered disabilities reporting the highest prevalence, followed by those with unregistered disabilities, and the lowest rates among students with no disability. Elevated rates among unregistered students suggest unmet or emerging support needs rather than absence of need.
• Financial Status (Pell Grant): Differences by Pell Grant status are modest but meaningful. Pell Grant recipients report slightly higher overall prevalence of any mental health condition and notably higher eating disorder–related symptoms, suggesting intersections between financial vulnerability and certain mental health challenges.
• College Generational Status: Overall prevalence is similar between first-generation and continuing-generation students; however, continuing-generation students report higher anxiety, self-injury, and suicidal ideation, whereas first-generation students report higher eating disorder–related symptoms.

Taken together, these findings indicate that mental health needs are pervasive across the student population but are not evenly distributed, emphasizing the importance of equity-informed, culturally responsive, and identity-affirming approaches to mental health outreach, prevention, and support.

Race and Ethnicity

About the Students

Race and ethnicity data were collected using checkboxes, allowing students to identify with multiple groups simultaneously rather than choosing a single category. As a result, percentages across groups can exceed 100%, and each race/ethnicity is analyzed independently.

The respondents were generally representative of the student body, but white students were overrepresented by about 15 percentage points (survey: 31%, spring 2025: 16%).

Mental Health Conditions by Race/Ethnicity

Mental health outcomes vary substantially across racial/ethnic groups when compared to the campuswide averages (Any mental health condition: 72%; Depression: 46%; Anxiety: 39%; Eating disorders: 37%; Self-injury: 26%; Suicidal ideation: 15%).

• Any mental health condition is most prevalent among Southeast Asian (84%) and Black/African American (83%) students, followed by South Asian (80%), Other Race/Ethnicity (76%), and East Asian (75%) students—all exceeding the campuswide average.
• Depression is highest among Southeast Asian students (63%), with elevated rates also observed among Black/African American, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Filipino, and South Asian students (approximately 55–56%), each well above the institutional rate of 46%. In contrast, Middle Eastern/North African students report substantially lower levels (29%).
• Anxiety is most prevalent among Black/African American, Filipino, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian students (around 50%), notably higher than the campuswide average of 39%, while Middle Eastern/North African students report the lowest prevalence (21%).
• Eating disorder–related symptoms show the widest dispersion relative to the institutional average (37%), with especially high prevalence among American Indian/Alaska Native (50%) and Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (44%) students, and markedly lower prevalence among South Asian students (18%).
• Self-injury exceeds the campuswide rate (26%) among Southeast Asian (41%) and Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (44%) students, while Other Asian and White students report comparatively lower levels (approximately 14–28%).
• Suicidal ideation is highest among Black/African American (24%) and Southeast Asian (23%) students—both substantially above the institutional average of 15%—and lowest among Middle Eastern/North African students (6%).

Overall, Southeast Asian and Black/African American students consistently report elevated mental health challenges across multiple outcomes, often exceeding campuswide averages by large margins. Additionally, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian and American Indian/Alaska Native students emerge as groups with particularly high prevalence for specific conditions (e.g., eating disorder–related symptoms and self-injury), highlighting the importance of targeted, culturally responsive mental health strategies rather than uniform approaches.

Gender

About the Students

Gender was collected using checkboxes, and students could select multiple gender identities. As a result, percentages across groups can exceed 100%.

Overall, female students were over-represented in the survey by about 13 percentage points (survey: 62%, spring 2025: 49%), whereas male students were under-represented by about 9 percentage points (survey: 34%, spring 2025: 43%).

Mental Health Conditions by Gender

Mental health outcomes vary substantially across gender identities when compared to the campuswide averages, with particularly pronounced disparities between cisgender and non-cisgender students (Any mental health condition: 72%; Depression: 46%; Anxiety: 39%; Eating disorders: 37%; Self-injury: 26%; Suicidal ideation: 15%).

• Any mental health condition is nearly universal among non-binary/genderqueer (97%) and transgender (90%) students, far exceeding rates among female (74%) and male (65%) students.
• Depression is especially elevated among transgender students (79%) and non-binary/genderqueer students (64%), compared to female (48%) and male (39%) students.
• Anxiety follows a similar pattern, affecting more than two-thirds of non-binary/genderqueer (69%) and three-quarters of transgender (76%) students, while rates are substantially lower among female (40%) and male (33%) students.
• Eating disorder–related symptoms are most prevalent among female students (42%), exceeding rates among non-binary/genderqueer (31%), transgender (28%), and male (27%) students.
• Self-injury is markedly higher among transgender (62%) and non-binary/genderqueer (58%) students, more than double the prevalence among female (27%) and male (20%) students.
• Suicidal ideation is highest among transgender students (35%), followed by non-binary/genderqueer students (24%), compared to substantially lower rates among male (16%) and female (13%) students.

Overall, transgender and non-binary/genderqueer students experience consistently and substantially higher mental health challenges across nearly all outcomes, particularly for depression, anxiety, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. These disparities underscore the need for gender-affirming, trauma-informed, and identity-specific mental health supports, alongside broader campuswide prevention and care strategies. However, eating disorders were particularly prominent for female students.

Sexual Orientation

About the Students

Sexual orientation was collected using checkboxes, and students could select multiple sexual orientations. As a result, percentages across groups can exceed 100%.

In the figure below, an “LGBTQIA2S+” category was created, which aggregates the responses of students who indicated being pansexual, queer, bisexual, questioning/unsure, asexual, lesbian, and/or gay. Students who selected more than one sexual orientation are unduplicated in this category.

For spring 2025, 13% of students indicated that they identify as LGBTQIA2S+, compared with 26% of respondents in this survey. However, this difference shouhld not be interpreted as overrepresentation in the survey sample, since institutional data on sexual orientation is known to be underreprorted.

Mental Health Conditions by Sexual Orientation

Mental health outcomes vary substantially across sexual orientations when compared to the campuswide averages, with consistently higher prevalence among LGBTQIA2S+ students (Any mental health condition: 72%; Depression: 46%; Anxiety: 39%; Eating disorders: 37%; Self-injury: 26%; Suicidal ideation: 15%).

• Any mental health condition is most prevalent among pansexual (97%) and queer (94%) students, followed by bisexual (91%) and questioning/unsure (88%) students. All LGBTQIA+ groups report markedly higher rates than non-LGBTQIA+ students (65%).
• Depression is especially elevated among pansexual (79%), queer (74%), questioning/unsure (69%), and bisexual (65%) students, compared to 40% among non-LGBTQIA+ students.
• Anxiety follows a similar pattern, affecting over 60% of pansexual and queer students and nearly 60% of bisexual and questioning/unsure students, versus 33% among non-LGBTQIA+ students.
• Eating disorder–related symptoms show notable variation, with particularly high prevalence among pansexual students (63%) and elevated levels among queer, bisexual, and gay students (approximately 42–47%). Rates are lowest among questioning/unsure students (24%).
• Self-injury is most prevalent among queer (59%) and pansexual (55%) students, substantially exceeding the rate among non-LGBTQIA+ students (18%).
• Suicidal ideation is highest among gay (33%), queer (26%), and bisexual (21%) students, compared to 12% among non-LGBTQIA+ students.

Overall, pansexual, queer, bisexual, and questioning/unsure students consistently report the highest levels of mental health challenges across multiple outcomes. In contrast, non-LGBTQIA+ students report substantially lower prevalence across all indicators, highlighting pronounced disparities by sexual orientation and the need for targeted, affirming mental health supports.

Age Group

About the Students

Students reported their age in the survey. All participants were required to be 18 years or older to complete the survey.

Mental Health Conditions by Age Group

Mental health outcomes vary substantially across sexual orientations when compared to the campuswide averages, with younger students reporting substantially higher prevalence across most indicators compared to older students (Any mental health condition: 72%; Depression: 46%; Anxiety: 39%; Eating disorders: 37%; Self-injury: 26%; Suicidal ideation: 15%).

• Any mental health condition is most prevalent among students ages 25–29 (79%) and 20–24 (78%), followed by those ages 35–39 (74%) and 30–34 (72%). Prevalence declines with age, reaching 38% among students 50 and older.
• Depression is highest among students ages 25–29 (58%) and remains elevated among those ages 20–24, 30–34, and 35–39 (approximately 47–49%). Rates drop sharply among students 50 and older (15%).
• Anxiety is most prevalent among students ages 25–29 (45%), 20–24 (46%), and 30–34 (45%), with substantially lower levels among students ages 35–39 (28%) and 50 and older (18%).
• Eating disorder–related symptoms are relatively consistent across students under age 40 (approximately 39–42%), with lower prevalence among students ages 40–49 (26%) and 50 and older (24%).
• Self-injury is concentrated among younger students, particularly those ages 25–29 (32%) and 20–24 (32%), and declines markedly with age, reaching 3% among students 50 and older.
• Suicidal ideation is highest among students ages 25–29 (24%) and 20–24 (17%), with substantially lower prevalence among students ages 35–39 (8%), 40–49 (8%), and 50 and older (8%).

Overall, mental health challenges are most pronounced among students under age 30, particularly for depression, anxiety, self-injury, and suicidal ideation. Prevalence declines steadily with age, indicating that younger students bear a disproportionate mental health burden, while older students report markedly lower levels across nearly all outcomes.

Disability Status

About the Students

Students indicated whether or not they have a disability. If they indicated having a disability, a follow-up question asked whether or not they were registered with a disability at Disability SUpport Services (DSS) at Fullerton College. Thus, students in the category “Any Disability” are the aggregate of students who have a registered or unregistered disability.

Mental Health Conditions by Disability Status

Mental health outcomes vary substantially by disability status, with a clear gradient observed across registered disability, any disability, unregistered disability, and no disability groups, especially when considering campuswide trends (Any mental health condition: 72%; Depression: 46%; Anxiety: 39%; Eating disorders: 37%; Self-injury: 26%; Suicidal ideation: 15%).

• Students with a registered disability report the highest prevalence across all outcomes, including any mental health condition (82%), depression (67%), anxiety (53%), self-injury (38%), and suicidal ideation (25%).
• Students reporting any disability but not necessarily registered show slightly lower—but still elevated—rates across outcomes, indicating substantial mental health burden even without formal accommodation status.
• Students with an unregistered disability consistently fall between registered and no-disability groups, with rates notably higher than students with no disability, particularly for depression (55% vs. 36%) and anxiety (50% vs. 29%).
• Students reporting no disability have substantially lower prevalence across all outcomes, though more than one-third still report any mental health condition (65%).

However, it is likely that students with registered disabilities experience different levels of functional impact, compared to students with unregistered disabilities, which may increase engagement with formal support systems, such as DSS. Importantly, elevated rates among unregistered students may suggest unmet or unrecognized support rather than an absence of need.

Overall, the differences suggest that disability status is closely linked to mental health risk, and that students with unregistered disabilities represent a critical group for early identification, outreach, and preventative support, not solely those formally registered with disability services.

Financial Status

About the Students

Financial status was collected using based on whether students were Pell Grant recipients.

Mental Health Conditions by Financial Status

Mental health outcomes show modest but meaningful differences by Pell Grant status, with some indicators more elevated among Pell recipients and others slightly higher among non-Pell recipients.

• Any mental health condition is reported more frequently among Pell Grant recipients (73%) than non-Pell recipients (70%), indicating a somewhat higher overall mental health burden among students with greater financial need.
• Depression is slightly more prevalent among non-Pell recipients (46%) compared to Pell recipients (43%), though rates are similar across groups.
• Anxiety rates are comparable between groups, with Pell recipients reporting marginally higher prevalence (38%) than non-Pell recipients (36%).
• Eating disorder–related symptoms are notably higher among Pell recipients (40%) compared to non-Pell recipients (34%), representing one of the largest observed gaps by Pell status. This may be related to experiences of food insecurity.
• Self-injury is slightly more prevalent among non-Pell recipients (26%) than Pell recipients (24%).
• Suicidal ideation is reported at similar levels for both groups, with Pell recipients at 14% and non-Pell recipients at 13%.

Overall, students receiving Pell Grants report a slightly higher prevalence of experiencing any mental health condition and eating disorder–related symptoms, while other outcomes show relatively small differences by Pell status. These patterns suggest that financial vulnerability may intersect with certain mental health challenges, even as mental health needs remain widespread across both Pell and non-Pell student populations.

College Generational Status

About the Students

College generational status (i.e., first-generation or continuing-generation) was collected using based on the highest level of education of parent(s) or guardian(s). Students were considering first-generation college students if neither parent or guardian had more than a high school degree.

Mental Health Conditions by College Generational Status

Mental health outcomes are largely similar between first-generation and continuing-generation students, though there are notable differences emerge for specific indicators.

• Any mental health condition is reported at comparable levels by first-generation (73%) and continuing-generation (72%) students, indicating widespread mental health needs across both groups.
• Depression is slightly more prevalent among continuing-generation students (47%) compared to first-generation students (45%).
• Anxiety is also higher among continuing-generation students (40%) than first-generation students (37%).
• Eating disorder–related symptoms are more prevalent among first-generation students (40%) compared to continuing-generation students (35%). This follows a similar pattern as students’ financial status, where Pell Grant recipients demonstrated elevated eating disorder-related symptoms.
• Self-injury shows a pronounced difference, with continuing-generation students reporting substantially higher prevalence (30%) than first-generation students (19%).
• Suicidal ideation is likewise higher among continuing-generation students (17%) compared to first-generation students (11%).

Overall, while overall mental health prevalence is similar by generational status, continuing-generation students report higher levels of anxiety, self-injury, and suicidal ideation, whereas first-generation students report higher prevalence of eating disorder–related symptoms. These differences suggest that generational status may be associated with distinct mental health experiences, underscoring the importance of tailoring outreach and supports to address different patterns of need across student groups.

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