DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESIDENT ADVISORS AND UNDERGRADUATE RESIDENTIAL STUDENTS ON RESILIENCE, MENTAL HEALTH, BURNOUT, AND PERCEIVED STRESS

The mental health and well-being of college students has become a growing concern for colleges and universities. Research has shown that prevalence rates of mental health in colleges students is growing and there are multiple complicating impacts of mental health on student well-being and academic success. Resident advisors play a crucial role in campus life as student employees that live amongst students and have a high level of responsibility as first responders to emergencies and rule enforcers. Despite their importance, there is little research on the mental health of resident advisors and how different aspects of the resident advisor role impact their mental health.
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between resident advisors and undergraduate residential students on measures of mental health, burnout, and perceived stress. The study also examined how different aspects of the resident advisor position may impact resident advisor mental health, burnout, and stress and if resilience had a mediating impact on these variables. A total of 551 college students (including 84 resident advisors) were included in this research study. Participants completed an online survey, which included the Mental Health Inventory, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Scale of Protective Factors, and a demographic questionnaire. The multivariate analysis indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between resident advisors and undergraduate residential college students on mental health, burnout, and perceived stress. A multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that there was not a significant difference between the groups on the combined dependent variables after controlling for resilience. The findings of the present study suggest that resident advisors and residential college students are experiencing symptoms of mental health, burnout, and perceived stress. Results suggest that university staff who work with students should be aware of the mental health challenges of students and work to find ways to support them.