The topic that was chosen to research is the relationship between university students and student wellbeing resources available on campus. To ensure that this was a relevant topic worth exploring, two sources were analysed; an excerpt from the Journal of Adolescent Health (Hunt and Eisenberg, 2009), and an article from ABC titled “One in Three Students Consider Self-Harm and Suicide” (Vukovic, 2018).
In a study conducted by the American College Health Association, results showed that only 24% of college students that had been diagnosed with depression were receiving treatment (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2009). This evidence is further solidified in the context of a university student in Vukovic’s article. It states that 35% of students have had self-harm or suicidal thoughts in the last 12 months (Vukovic, 2018). These sources confirm that the mental health and emotional wellbeing of university students is suffering, and through my primary research, my aim was to find out what universities are doing to counteract this and how students interact with these resources.
To conduct this research, a six-question survey was distributed to 24 members of the BCM212 cohort, and the results provided me with insightful information into how students feel about these resources in their university. As it is a sensitive topic, a waiver was provided prior to commending the survey, informing the prospective participants that it was not compulsory to engage in the survey, and they may leave at any time.
One of the strongest findings that presented itself in the results of my primary research is that majority of survey participants (include percentage) were unaware of how exactly to access these resources. Almost 80 percent of participants were aware of the fact that there are resources on campus specifically to cater for students who are struggling, but alarmingly, it was only 41% of surveyed students that knew where or how to access them, this being a prominent reason people haven’t utilised them in the past (Appendix 1.2-1.3).
Almost 55% of participants responded “No” or “I’m not sure” when asked if they would use the available resources if they were struggling (Appendix 1.4). When asked why, respondents stated that they had a fear of criticism or judgement, they felt others needed the resources more than them, and they simply don’t want professional help (Appendix 1.5-1.5a). This raises another issue; there is such a stigma surrounding this topic in society, and perhaps the reason so few people are seeking help is because they don’t want to be judged for their struggles.
Majority of participants proposed that more advertising should be done to make students aware of what is available to help them. Results also showed that some felt the feedback they received when they reached out for help was generic, unhelpful and took a long time to reach them. One participant made a suggestion that I agree with, which is ensuring all university officials such as lecturers and tutors have been trained and are equipped to deal with students who may be struggling.
It can be seen that the information and findings are relatively strong, and they support the statement found in the Journal of Adolescent Health (Hunt and Eisenberg, 2009) that the large majority of students in further educations are not currently seeking out further treatment or help resources. The basis’ of my secondary sources focused more on the statistics about the mental health of students, as opposed to the resources available on campuses, however, I do feel that findings from both secondary and primary research link and correlate.
Limitations of my research are that only students from one subject at one university were surveyed. Surveying students from universities nationwide or internally would provide much more data that may differ from the implications of my current results.
Ideally, its desirable for these findings to leave a lasting impact on universities, encouraging them to invest more time into marketing and exposing these valuable resources to the students. My recommendation if that strategies such as emailing students with information on what help options are available, more visible posters or flyers on campus, and signage showing students where to go if they wish to visit or access the resources would be beneficial in this plight. It is also hoped that this research highlights to students that these resources do exist and are there to help them, as well as breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness or emotional hardships. Finally, I believe further training should be provided to professionals at university to assist them in dealing with students who are struggling.
*This post will be removed within 6 months, destroying all information and evidence found through primary research.
josiehowl 