By Scott King

A national study may give truth to the saying, “hard work pays off.” Researchers found that work ethic is associated with mental health. 

The Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory (PSRI) was administered at nine colleges and universities to assess student and faculty attitudes about how well their campus promotes excellence.  Excellence was defined as “having a strong work ethic and a commitment to doing one’s best in every aspect of college.”  Students also completed the mental health continuum-short form. 

Data showed that students at campuses where they are encouraged to develop a strong work ethic, self-discipline, and responsibility have better mental health. 

According to the American College Health Association’s Spring 2014 National College Health Assessment, mental health issues among college students have doubled—maybe even tripled—in the past three decades.  This makes an association between excellence and mental health on campuses an important discovery. 

Now, we must admit that while this discovery is important, it is not particularly surprising.  We’ve all experienced the relaxed, content feeling you get after a long day of hard work.  We’ve also all experienced the anxious, unsettling feeling you get after a lazy day not utilized to its full potential.

Naturally, you’d expect a campus where hard work is encouraged to be comprised of students who experience a more steady flow of that content feeling and fewer bouts of laziness-produced anxiety. 

So, what can educators do to improve students’ mental health and encourage the development of strong work ethic and self-discipline?  The answer to that question seems obvious.  Faculty, especially those who interact with students often, should be inspired to communicate to students the importance of striving for excellence.  For example, instructors could remind students about the benefits of a strong work ethic for success in college for first-year students or for success after college for juniors and seniors.

Students feed off their college instructors and mentors more than they realize.  This creates an opportunity for college faculty to relay the message that striving for excellence is a win-win situation.  Students win by using strong work ethic to achieve more with their time in college, and they also win by having better mental health. 

The PSRI has acted as a window through which to see how we can enhance college students’ mental health and overall success during their college experience.  This window has not only shown us that encouraging excellence can support mental health, but also that community engagement supports mental health.  These insights should motivate colleges to seek out more information about students’ personal and social lives so that they may use it to make students’ lives better.