If you’ve seen my previous blog post (here) where I ponder my ideas for a research report I am undertaking, you’ll know that I have picked the topic of mental health in students. As a university student, mental health is something that has greatly impacted my own life, including my studies, and I feel that my own experience is important in allowing me to research reflexively, and acknowledge my own stance on the topic. I also believe that transparency is important in my research, so expressing my personal connection with this topic will allow any readers to understand the research report from my point of view.
However, for me to be able to do this topic justice, I must focus all of my research on one aspect. For this research report, I will be focusing specifically on how and if universities are helping students with mental health disorders.
I strongly believe that this topic is extremely relevant for today’s current university students, and is something that needs to be spoken about as soon as possible. An article published by ABC News supports this, stating that 35 percent of students (both at TAFE and university) had experienced self-harm or suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months. (Vukovic, 2017)
This is a truly frightening statistic, and it solidifies how dire and prominent of a situation mental health in students has become.
In a study conducted by the American College Health Association, results showed that only 24% of college students that had been diagnosed with depressed were receiving treatment. (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2009)
If only 24 out of 100 medically diagnosed students are receiving treatment, it’s no wonder students are struggling to cope.
But why are they not receiving treatment? And if universities are aware of this crisis, what resources are they supplying to students? I aim to find this out through my research, as well as uncovering students’ perceptions of these resources.
I plan to achieve these goals through multiple research practices and pathways. I will conduct anonymous online surveys that will be distributed to University of Wollongong students via social media. The questions will be based around whether participants have heard of the resources available for students with mental health disorders at the University of Wollongong, and their attitudes surrounding it. I have learnt from conducting previous primary research that allowing anonymity in completing the surveys will likely increase participants’ willingness to cooperate, and therefore, I believe this information will be of high importance to the report as well as being easily achievable.
I also aim to connect with members of the UOW Wellbeing Society and other UOW officials to see how successful their efforts have been, and whether they can see room for improvements. My secondary research will continue, with hopes to find more statistics about mental health disorders in students and the utilisation of resources in universities both nationally and internationally.
Ultimately, other than simply achieving the goal of writing this report for my assignment, I really want to raise awareness for mental illness in students and hopefully encourage universities to develop and promote resources for students, or continue building upon resources they may already have available.
Sources:
Vukovic, D. (2018). One in Three Students Consider Self-Harm and Suicide. [online] ABC News. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-06/one-in-three-students-consider-self-harm-and-suicide/8420728 [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
Hunt, J. and Eisenberg, D. (2009). Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior Among College Students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46(1), pp.3-10.
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