About one in five students (19%) report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. About one in three students (33%) report moderate to severe depression at the time of survey administration.² By comparison, 27% of students in the national HMS sample reported having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives and 41% reported moderate or severe depression at the time of survey administration.²

About one in four students (26%) report have been diagnosed with anxiety at some point in their lives. Similarly, about one in four students (27%) reported moderate to severe anxiety at the time of the survey administration.³ By comparison, 31% of students in the national HMS sample reported having been diagnosed with anxiety at some point in their lives and 35% reported moderate or severe anxiety at the time of survey administration.³

About 6% of students reported having been diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their lives.¹ To further screen for those who may be at risk for an eating disorder the SCOFF questionnaire (a five item self-report measure) is commonly used. Using a cut-off score of 3 or higher suggests about one in eight students (12%) may be at risk for an eating disorder.⁴

Dartmouth’s female students (15%) and transgender, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, and genderqueer (TGNQ) students (17%) were more likely to have scores in the at-risk range than male students (7%).⁴

National data indicate that 4% of students report having been diagnosed with an eating disorder at some point in their lives and 12% screen for being at risk (SCOFF score of 3 or greater).⁴

Using a lower cutoff score (SCOFF score of 2 or higher), an additional 16% of Dartmouth students may be considered at risk. This measure is less commonly recommended for clinical screening as 3 has been shown to better balance between statistical sensitivity and specificity. However, as we work to build a community with healthy attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, it is valuable to know more about this additional percentage of students. 

About half of Dartmouth students (50%) reported consuming no alcohol or consuming alcohol at a low-risk level in the two weeks prior to taking the survey and about half (50%) reported having engaged in high-risk drinking at least one time during the preceding two weeks. About 27% reported consuming no alcohol, and about 23% reported consuming alcohol at a low-risk level.

Among students who consumed any alcohol, Dartmouth's transgender, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, and genderqueer (TGNQ) students were less likely to report drinking during those two weeks (53%) than male and female students (73-75%). Among all students who reported consuming alcohol in those two weeks, 68% percent reported high-risk drinking at least one time, higher than the national HMS sample (59%).

Differences among Dartmouth students were observed by gender and degree type. Among students who reported drinking within the prior two weeks, 73% of males, 64% of females, and 43% of transgender, gender-non-conforming, non-binary, and genderqueer (TGNQ) students reported high-risk drinking at least one time; however, the number of responses for TGNQ students was small, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions for that group.⁵ Among all students who reported consuming alcohol in the two weeks before taking the survey, a higher percentage of undergraduates (75%) reported high-risk drinking than graduate and professional students (58%).⁵

Overall, about one in nine students (11%) report having seriously thought about attempting suicide in the past year, which is similar to the national HMS results (13%). Underrepresented minority (URM) students were also more likely to report suicidal ideation (14%) than white students (10%) and Asian American/Asian students (10%). According to the Trevor Project, a leading organization on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) youth mental health, LGBTQ youth have higher rates of suicidal ideation than their straight, cis-gender peers. This is consistent with Dartmouth’s HMS results, although the number of respondents to this question is too small to draw any strong conclusions. A similar percentage of Dartmouth students reported having made a suicide plan within the last year (4%) in comparison with the national HMS dataset (5%) and a similar percentage reported having attempted suicide within the last year (less than 1%) compared to the national dataset (1%).

Many students (38%) believe that most people will think less of someone who has received mental health treatment; however, only 10% of students report that they would think less of someone who gets that help. This indicates that perceptions of public stigma are much higher than personal stigma. In the national HMS sample, 45% of students believed that most others would think less of someone who has received mental health services and 6% reported personal stigma.

About one in five students (17%) did not feel like they have a community, group, or social circle where they belong at Dartmouth and only about half of students (59%) reported feeling that they “belong” at their school.

Most students report that their school is a campus where people look out for each other (81%). Perceptions of peer support at Dartmouth are especially strong, with 89% of students agreeing, to some extent, that students are working to promote mental health at their school.

Overall, 72% of students agreed, to some extent, that their school is actively working to combat racism; however, responses differed by race. Only about 63% of underrepresented minority students felt that their school is actively working to combat racism, compared with 73% of Asian American/Asian students and 76% of white students. In the national HMS sample, 81% of students agreed that their school is actively working to combat racism.

While about three-fourths of Dartmouth students report leading a purposeful and meaningful life (77%), a sizeable percentage do not feel that sense of purpose and meaning (11%) or have mixed feelings (11%).

Based on combined responses to multiple questions, most Dartmouth students report normal emotional resilience (62%). About 10% of students report high resilience and about 28% low resilience. 

About 20% of students reported often or always feeling stressed about finances. Underrepresented minority (URM) students were about twice as likely to report these financial concerns (33%) compared to white students (15%) and Asian American/Asian students (17%). Similarly, graduate and professional school students were more likely to report often or always feeling stressed about finances (26%) than undergraduates (16%). 

Close to 8% of students reported that within the last year the food they bought didn’t last and they didn’t have money for more. These findings were similar for graduate and professional students (nearly 8%) and undergraduates (about 7%).

The effects of COVID-19 are inequitably felt by Dartmouth students. Underrepresented minority (URM) students were more likely to report having a loved one, close family member, or friend who experienced significant COVID-19 illness (34%) compared to white students (22%) and Asian American/Asian students (19%). Moreover, URM students were more than twice as likely to report having grieved the loss of a loved one, close family member, or friend due to COVID-19 (19%) compared to white (8%) and Asian American/Asian students (7%). These results are consistent with national COVID-19 data, showing lower rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization, and death in white and non-Hispanic Asian communities than in other communities.