It is almost a certainty that mental health and wellbeing are frequently discussed in your school context. The issue has very rapidly become one of the most salient facing the sector, and the data on the subject demonstrates why. Between 2020/1 and 2022/23, NHS referrals for children and young people increased by over 50%. Moreover, as many as 25% of students considering dropping out of university cite mental health as their main reason – making it the most common cause by far.
With many young people feeling a much greater anxiety about the prospect of going to university, this article aims to show you what support universities can offer your students when they make that transition, as well as some pointers on how you can support their wellbeing.
The Roots: What Challenges will Students Face at University?
University can be a very vulnerable time for young people, especially now. In order to support students, it’s imperative to understand where these issues are coming from.
For many, the primary issue is independence. Whether a student is striking out on their own or commuting from a family home, coming to university means adjusting to a very different mode of being. Students have the privilege – and responsibility – of taking control of their own learning and balancing it with a new social circle. This is undoubtedly a huge positive of the university experience, but it comes with its own challenges.
There are also several factors beyond a young person’s control which can greatly impact their mental health. A BMC study from 2022 designated issues with money as a key factor in predicting poor mental health, as well as identifying as LGBTQ+ or having a condition such as autism. There is also research to suggest that COVID lockdowns had a long-term impact on psychological resilience.
What can university do to support your mental health?
To respond to these challenges, universities provide students with ways to manage their wellbeing which they may not have easy access to elsewhere. With mental health playing such a prominent role in young people’s life, it’s helpful to know what kinds of support are available to them.
Counselling services
Here at City St. George’s, our Student Health and Wellbeing Team offer confidential free time-limited counselling. Many other universities will have similar provision, so it’s worth getting in touch with student services and asking about what support they have available. Our counsellors support a wide range of issues, including depression, family/relationship difficulties, eating disorders, etc.
Reasonable adjustments and SSP
‘Reasonable adjustments’ refer to changes to a work or education environment which remove or reduce disadvantages which arise for people with disabilities. This includes SEND needs such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD, and neurodiverse conditions such as depression or anxiety also fall under that umbrella. It’s helpful to be discursive with your university about your condition(s), as this will help them to put together a Student Support Plan (SSP) to help manage your conditions while at university. This could mean having extra time for exams or assessments, as well as a variety of others forms of support.
Disabled Students Allowance
As mentioned, economic pressure exerts a huge amount of strain on everyone, students especially. A student’s funding body (e.g. Student Finance England) will have something called Disabled Students Allowance (DSA); funding available to help students with disabilities, including mental health conditions. Support can come in the form of assistive technology, material aid like a laptop, or simply as cash – the latter of which does not need to be repaid. It’s worth looking into how you can apply for DSA funding.
Other support
There are many other forms of support which will be specific to your chosen university. Here at City St. George’s, since students with SEND needs are much more likely to experience mental health challenges, we have a number of facilities to help our neurodiverse students, including fully sound-proofed quiet spaces for anybody needing time away from social situations. We also run events such as autism-friendly transition days where students with SEND needs can tour the university facilities on quieter days, without having to deal with the overwhelming freshers environment.
What can you do to support yourself?
One of the most valuable things a university education can teach you is the value of independence. While there is a great deal of support available, it’s healthy to find ways you can support yourself as well; both in helping you thrive at university and continue to flourish after graduating.
Stay Active
Exercising regularly helps to relieve stress and releases endorphins correlated with a better mood. It can also boost your self-esteem, and having something else to focus on can take your mind off your mental health pressures. University is a really great opportunity to focus on staying active; depending on your course, you’re likely to have much more time for exercise than you might while working a full-time job, and university gym memberships are significantly cheaper for their students.
Stay Social
The benefits of having a good support network cannot be overstated, especially since loneliness is major factor causing poor mental health in young people. Studying with such an enormous range of people from different backgrounds brings with it a myriad of ways to expand your social circle. A staple of university life, societies, are great ways to meet new people with shared values and interests.
Cook
There are several interesting studies on the wellbeing effects of cooking your own food. Cooking helps you to feel grounded and positive because it’s considered a ‘meaningful’ use of your time where you feel like you’re doing something that matters. It’s also a creative act, meaning that you can feel a small amount of pride that you’ve made something to nourish yourself. Finally, it also has immense social benefits; cooking for yourself is great, but cooking for others is a fantastic way to enjoy things together and build a stronger support network.
While mental health is a very justifiable anxiety for many young people looking to attend university, there are many things that they can do and that their uni can do for them to mitigate that worry. Once the offers start to come in and your students are thinking more seriously about their first and insurance choices, it’s worth encouraging them to reach out to their chosen institution and see what kind of support will be available to them.
References
Children’s Commissioner. Children’s Mental Health Services Report 2022-23. Children’s mental health services 2022-23 | Children’s Commissioner for England
King’s College London. Student Mental Health Problems have Almost Tripled, Study Finds. Student mental health problems have almost tripled, study finds | King’s College London
BMC Public Health. Factors that influence mental health of university and college students in the UK: a systematic review. Factors that influence mental health of university and college students in the UK: a systematic review | BMC Public Health | Full Text
Campbell, Fiona et al. National Library of Medicine. Addressing the Psychological Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review. Addressing the Psychological Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Review – PMC
UCAS. What is DSA? What is DSA? | UCAS
Harvard Health Publishing. Exercising to Relax. Exercising to Relax – Harvard Health Publishing – Harvard Health
Ibbetson, Connor. YouGov. Who are the Most Lonely People in the UK? WHo are the most lonely people in the UK? | YouGov
Farmer, Nicole and Cotter, Elizabeth. National Library of Medicine. Well-Being and Cooking Behavior: Using the Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) Model as a Theoretical Framework. Well-Being and Cooking Behavior: Using the Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) Model as a Theoretical Framework – PMC