Towards an evidence‐base for student wellbeing and mental health: Definitions, developmental transitions and data sets

an article by Michael Barkham and Louise Knowles (University of Sheffield, UK), Emma Broglia (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Lutterworth, UK; University of Sheffield, UK), Géraldine Dufour (University of Cambridge, UK), Mark Fudge (Keele University, UK), Alan Percy (University of Oxford, UK), Afra Turner (Kings College London, UK) and Charlotte Williams (Birkbeck University of London, UK) on behalf of the SCORE Consortium (Student Counselling Outcomes, Research & Evaluation Consortium) published in Counselling and Psychotherapy Research Volume 19 Issue 4 December 2019)

Abstract

Against a background of huge changes in the world of university and college students since the turn of the millennium, together with a multitude of reports on student mental health/well-being, this article argues that the field of student mental health is hampered by the imprecise use of terms, a rush to action by universities in the absence of a robust evidence‐base, and a lack of overall coordination and collaboration in the collection and use of data.

In response, we argue for clearer and more consistent use of definitions of, as well as differentiations between, student well-being and mental health, for a longitudinal approach to the student body that captures their developmental transitions to and through university, and a strategic and systematic approach to the use of bona fide measures in the collection of data on well-being and on the process of outcomes in embedded university counselling services.

Such a coordinated approach will provide the necessary evidence‐base upon which to develop and deliver appropriate support and interventions to underpin and enhance the quality of students’ lives and learning while at university or college.

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Challenges to addressing student mental health in embedded counselling services: a survey of UK higher and further education institutions

an article by Emma Broglia, Abigail Millings and Michael Barkham (University of Sheffield, UK) published in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 46 Issue 4 (2018)

Abstract

With reports continually demonstrating increased demand and severity of student mental health needs, it is important to gain a fuller understanding of the impact on embedded student counselling services.

The aims of this research were to identify

1. service similarities,
2. factors which impact on services,
3. characteristics of service users, and
4. the use of therapeutic technology (e.g. online self-help).

An online survey was completed by 113 heads of UK student counselling services across Higher Education (HE), Further Education (FE), and Sixth Form Colleges (SFCs), to capture service data from the academic year 2013/14. Students predominantly received high-intensity support (e.g. counselling) and referrals increased over 3 years.

Challenges to embedded counselling services and their implications for development are discussed.

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Mindfulness boosts student mental health during exams, study finds

an article by Sally Weale, Education correspondent published in the Guardian

Cambridge University research shows technique helps to build resilience among undergraduates even in periods of high stress


The study says mindfulness courses in universities could help prevent mental illness. Photograph: Dougal Waters/Getty Images

Mindfulness training helps build resilience in university students and improve their mental health, particularly during stressful summer exams, according to research from the University of Cambridge.

The study, which involved just over 600 Cambridge students, concluded that the introduction of eight-week mindfulness courses in UK universities could help prevent mental illness and boost students’ wellbeing at a time of growing concern about mental health in the higher education sector.

University mental health services have experienced a huge surge in demand, with the number of students accessing counselling rising by 50% between 2010 and 2015, exceeding growth in student numbers during the same period.

According to the study, published in the journal The Lancet Public Health, the prevalence of mental illness among first-year undergraduates is lower than among the general population, but it exceeds levels in the general population during the second year of university.

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Campus confidential: the counsellors on the frontline of the student mental health crisis

an article by Moya Sarner for the Guardian

I am walking through Nottingham’s Arboretum park on a bright cold afternoon with 10 other people, all of us in complete silence. At first I find the whole thing so awkward I have to suppress an embarrassed laugh. But as we make our wordless way through the dappled shade, I feel an atmosphere of calm and thoughtfulness envelop us like a protective cloak.

The others in my group are undergraduate students, chaplains and other staff of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), all taking part in a mindfulness walk, intended to bring some space and quiet reflection into students’ hectic lives. Guided by the chaplains (who speak occasionally), we pause as a group to consider questions in the booklets we have been handed: “who am I?”, “where am I going in my life?” and “what brings me a sense of excitement?” Left to our silence, we note down our answers. Stopping by a rubbish bin, we ask, “What rubbish am I carrying with me in my life?” We tear off our answers and throw them in the bin. It sounds silly, but weeks later I still feel lighter for casting off that scribble on a scrap of paper.

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