The Impact of a College Course on Mental Health: A Scoping Review

2023 Undergraduate Research Showcase · Apr 21, 2023

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Ninety percent of colleges and universities in the United States offer conceptualized health and wellness courses (CHWC) that are meant to improve students’ general health and wellness knowledge. Prior literature reviews have mostly focused on physical benefits of such courses. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate course content and structure, and how effective college-based CHWCs are at improving mental health (MH) variables. Ten (10) articles published in English between 2010 and 2023, met our inclusion criteria, which represent 2419 subjects. Courses that focused on MH strategies, resulted in improved MH outcomes such as Meditation Practices, Mindfulness Strategies, Resilience Training, Growth Mindset and coping mechanisms. There is opportunity for CHWCs to adopt strategies that will improve MH outcomes.