1.1 Mental health in higher education

Many people experience mental health difficulties – resulting from mental illness or psychological distress – at some point during their lives.

Positive mental health (or wellbeing) means students will have the resilience, motivation and persistence needed to engage effectively in complex learning tasks, manage stressors, respond positively to challenges and make the most of the opportunities available.

In combination, these studies suggest that young people attending university may be at increased risk for experiencing high levels of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, compared with other young people in the community. The studies certainly tell us that a substantial proportion of the students in any university class will be experiencing some mental health difficulties.

• Some, but not all, university students experience a range of stressors that impact learning, such as: academic under-preparedness; financial strain; social isolation; poor physical health; or controlling parental expectations.
• Some, but not all, university students enjoy strong psychological resources that support effective learning, such as: an integrated sense of self (authentic autonomy); strong connections with others who share your values (providing a sense of belonging); secure and loving personal relationships (relatedness); and experiences of being effective and able to meet the academic demands of their course (competence).

An individual’s psychological resources, and hence their capacity to manage stressors and take advantage of resources within their environment, can be strengthened through positive personal habits and practices. Several web-based programs are now available to assist university students to develop these practices, such as mindfulness meditation, effective time-management, self-regulation and positive self-talk (we’ve listed several of these in the Useful Websites section, at the end of our References page).

As discussed in the next section, there are numerous stressors impacting contemporary students. While it is often not possible to restrict or eliminate these stressors, students’ psychological resources can be enhanced (rather than further depleted) by settings and practices in the teaching and learning environment. The resources in this website offer strategies and examples to support university educators to design teaching and learning environments that better support student mental wellbeing, thereby assisting all students to achieve their academic potential.