The State of Sorority Women’s Mental Health: Insights for The Public

by: Lauren Cunkelman

“In 2023, the CDC released a report showing that teen girls are experiencing record high levels of violence, sadness and suicide risk. The data shows that nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021—double that of boys, representing a nearly 60% increase and the highest level reported over the past decade.”

 The Foundation for Fraternal Excellence as well as the National Panhellenic Council, together with both corporate and individual donors to the Amplifying Sorority Campaign, set out to create a project aimed at delineating the mental health landscape experienced by collegiate women, with a focus on sorority affiliation. The Healthy Minds Study highlights a range of factors influencing mental well-being, including academic performance, social engagement, institutional integration and access to resources. The sponsoring organizations wanted to know:

 What is the prevalence of mental health issues among sorority members compared to unaffiliated peers? Do sorority women differ from their unaffiliated peers on measures of positive mental health? Are there differences in the utilization of mental health resources between sorority members and unaffiliated peers? What individual and institutional factors are associated with prevalent mental health issues among sorority women compared to their unaffiliated peers?

METHODOLOGY

About the Study

The Healthy Minds Study, conducted by the University of Michigan for 15 years, is a large-scale, ongoing research project investigating the mental health and well-being of college students across the United States. The survey includes seven sections: demographics, stress items, prevalence items, psychological coping items, help-seeking behavior items, institutional perception items and institutional characteristics.

State of Sorority Women’s Mental Health Specifics

• Data analyzed from 33,825 women on 135 campuses who completed the 2022-2023 survey

• 12% — 4,059 respondents — identified as being a member of a sorority

• Note: This data does not differentiate between council or type of sorority (social, business, honors, etc.). Beginning with the 2023-2024 report, council differentiation will be possible with respondents able to choose: National Association of Latin Fraternal Organizations (NALFO); National Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Panhellenic Association (NAPA); National Multicultural Greek Council (NMGC); National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC); National Panhellenic Council (CPC, NPC, PHA, PHC); Other (please specify)

• 18-24 year-old, baccalaureate degree-seeking women

 Overall, this research confirmed sorority women have positive mental health and well-being.

KEY INSIGHTS:

No. 1: While sorority women have more positive mental health, some knowledge gaps exist for understanding and treatment.

 No. 2: Engagement can be the antidote to loneliness (and sorority women are proof).

 No. 3: The chapter facility can play an important role for mental health.

 No. 4: Sorority women’s positive self perceptions can be a catalyst for themselves and others.

 Additionally, the Amplifying Sorority Campaign, through the Foundation of Fraternal Excellence, provided member organizations with implications and considerations for using this data to continue to support and strengthen sorority women’s mental health.

 To read more about The Healthy Minds Study and the State of Sorority Women’s Mental Health, visit: https://foundationfe.org/state-of-sorority-womens-mental-health/?pts=1743708169