2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Exploring changes in mental health conditions’ stigma levels and help-seeking attitudes among engineering students

Presented at Minorities in Engineering Division(MIND) Technical Session 15

Engineering students face significant barriers to seek support for mental health needs. Stigma around mental health acts as a major barrier for help seeking behavior. This study examines changes in mental health condition (MHC) stigma, help-seeking attitudes, and identity among engineering students at a U.S. East Coast institution over the course of a year (2022–2023). Using established survey instruments, we analyzed responses from 91 students through paired t-tests. Results indicate a decline in college-specific prejudice over time and a moderate decrease in engineering-specific social distance in online contexts. However, engineering identity and belonging also declined across all demographic groups. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance inclusion and support student wellbeing within engineering education.

Authors

Mr. Syed Ali Kamal University at Buffalo, The State University of New York [biography]

Syed Ali Kamal is a doctoral student at the Department of Engineering Education at University at Buffalo. He is working as a graduate research assistant at the DARE to CARE lab. His research interests lie in the area of social justice and issues related to diversity, equity and Inclusion.
Matilde Luz Sanchez-Pena http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3511-0694 University at Buffalo, The State University of New York [biography]

Dr. Matilde Sánchez-Peña is an assistant professor of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo – SUNY where she leads the Diversity Assessment Research in Engineering to Catalyze the Advancement of Respect and Equity (DAREtoCARE) Lab. Her research focuses on developing cultures of care and well-being in engineering education spaces, assessing gains in institutional efforts to advance equity and inclusion, and using data science for training socially responsible engineers.
Nichole Ramirez University of Texas at El Paso [biography]

Dr. Nichole Ramirez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education and Leadership at the University of Texas at El Paso. Previously, she served as the assistant director of Vertically Integrated Projects at Purdue University. Her research focuses on engineering education and the stigma surrounding mental illness. Dr. Ramirez also worked as a research data analyst in Purdue's Department of Institutional Data Analytics & Assessment. She earned her doctoral degree in engineering education and a master’s degree in aviation and aerospace management from Purdue University, along with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama.
Dr. Douglas B Samuel [biography]

My research focuses on the development of dimensional trait models of mental health problems and their application in clinical practice.

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