Freshmen this fall will be asked to participate in a study to determine how roommates and social networks affect students' mental health.

Janis Whitlock, a research scientist in the Family Life Development Center, will work as part of a team led by Daniel Eisenberg of the University of Michigan to survey a total of 9,500 freshmen at Cornell, the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"We're looking for more knowledge about what happens when you put two students together in a room," Whitlock said. "It could be that living with someone who is struggling with depression has a depressive effect. Or we could find that a struggling student receives some positive effects from being paired with a really strong, healthy student."

Students will be surveyed in the fall as well as nine months later; resident advisers will also be surveyed about how they handle students with mental health issues. Although the study is not designed as a screening tool, the researchers will work with mental health services at each university if students express serious issues.

When the survey is complete, the researchers will determine if it's appropriate to re-examine housing policies.

"It could inform how we train students and advisers and how we pair students," Whitlock said.

The study is funded by the William T. Grant Foundation.

Sheri Hall is the assistant director of communications in the College of Human Ecology.