Longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and changes in college students’ psychological distress and help-seeking intentions

To examine longitudinal associations between perceived campus mental health climate and students' psychological distress and help-seeking intentions. <b>Participants:</b> College and university students (<i>n</i> = 576) across six Pennsylvania campuses were recruited in Fall 2022 and completed online surveys at baseline, 1-month, and 6-month follow-up. <b>Methods:</b> Separate fixed-effects regression analyses examined within-person associations between perceived campus mental health climate and psychological distress (K6) and help-seeking intentions over time, adjusting for covariates. <b>Results:</b> Increases in perceived campus mental health climate were associated with decreases in K6 scores (B = -0.46, SE= 0.19, <i>p</i> = 0.01) and increased intentions to seek help from a friend (<i>B</i> = 0.14, SE = 0.04, <i>p</i> = .0008) and mental health professional (<i>B</i> = 0.22, SE = 0.05, <i>p</i> < .0001) over time. <b>Conclusions:</b> Improved perceptions of campus mental health climate were associated with reductions in students' psychological distress and increases in help-seeking intentions within a single academic year.