229. Analysis of psychological counseling mechanisms and intervention pathways for students with mental disorders in campus management systems
Year: 2026
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Background With increasing societal pressures and the growing prevalence of mental health issues, the identification and management of students with mental disorders in higher education institutions have become pressing concerns in public health and educational administration. Previous research has predominantly focused on mental health education for the general student population, with insufficient exploration of specialized, systematic psychological counseling and intervention mechanisms for students with diagnosed mental disorders within campus management systems. Therefore, this study analyzes the mechanisms and intervention pathways for psychological counseling of students with mental disorders within the campus management system. It proposes an integrated framework encompassing prevention, identification, counseling, referral, and follow-up to enhance the effectiveness of psychological crisis intervention and student support services in higher education institutions. Methods Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study first conducted content analysis of administrative documents and mental health records from three universities to identify existing management processes and gaps. Subsequently, qualitative data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions with 100 key stakeholders, including students, counselors, mental health professionals, and campus physicians. The core component is a 6-month quasi-experimental study that divided 60 diagnosed students into a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group received the “Team Collaboration Intervention Pathway,” which integrated case conferences, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) groups, and peer support. The control group received routine school student support services, primarily consisting of regular counselor appointments, mental health education lectures, and basic psychological support and school nurse referrals when students sought help proactively or during crises. The study employed the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and College Student School Adjustment Questionnaire as primary assessment tools. Three measurements were taken for both groups—pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up—to compare dynamic changes in psychological symptoms and campus adaptation levels. Results Content analysis revealed that only 40% of university documents mentioned specific management procedures for students with mental disorders, with fragmented collaboration across departments. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four core issues: conflicts between confidentiality and information sharing (mentioned by 85%), insufficient professional intervention resources (78%), ambiguous roles and high stress among counselors (90%), and lack of social support networks (82%). Experimental findings showed that the experimental group (n = 30) receiving the “team-based collaborative intervention pathway” exhibited a significant decrease in mean SAS scores from 68.5 ± 7.2 to 52.3 ± 6.8 (p<.01) after 6 months. While their SDS mean score decreased from 65.8 ± 6.9 to 50.1 ± 7.5 (p<.01). Moreover, the improvement in campus adaptation scale scores was significantly higher than that of the control group (mean increase of 15.6 points vs. 5.2 points, p<.05). Discussion This study confirms systemic deficiencies in current university support systems for students with mental disorders. The developed “team-based intervention pathway,” emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration and specialized interventions, significantly improved patients' psychological symptoms and campus adaptation while reducing relapse risk. This research provides universities with an actionable blueprint for psychological support mechanisms and concrete intervention pathways, underscoring the necessity of integrating administrative management with professional services. Future research should expand sample sizes to conduct multicenter randomized controlled trials, explore differentiated intervention strategies for distinct disorder types, and investigate the potential application of digital technologies in long-term follow-up support.
Source: Schizophrenia Bulletin
Authors: Qingming Liu, Qingbo Bi
Institutions: Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Hangzhou Normal University
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7128798679
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