Mental Health and Wellbeing of University Students in England - Literature review Example

?Research Report of Study Done on Mental Health and Wellbeing of in England The main aim of this research report is to offer an update for the mental health and well being of university students in England. Over the past years, the demographics of the student population have undergone many alterations that are relevant to the proviso of mental health and well being. Students studying for higher education have increased and they have turned out to be more diverse? both culturally and socially. Various restrictions hampered the involvement of a lot of individuals in education during the past. But, since these restrictions were removed? there can be seen an increasing number of students drawn from various backgrounds therefore? resulting in increased number of students worldwide. Social changes? for example? financial support withdrawal, high rates of family problems and? more in recent times, financial recession all cause an impact on the mental health and well-being of students as well as youngsters. Background/Introduction: In the present scenario, around 2.5 million students are undergoing higher education in UK. The number of students involved in higher education has increased exponentially over the past 20 years. Anyone closely related and in contact with the UK Higher Education segment would be aware of the fact that the past 18 months have been an uncertain and turbulent period. “Widening participation (WP) to higher education is an area of political, social, and economic importance for the 21st century” (Andreshak-Behrman, 2003). The economic crisis, rising unemployment and government reforms have rendered the issue of higher education to be one of the top topics for public debate. It can be seen that the money involved for getting a degree has never been too costly, but at the same time? a lot of unemployed graduate students comment that the cost has never decreased either. “Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community” (Mental Health: A State of well-Being, 2012). The paper acknowledges students all over the world as an at risk group that may be pressurized under the high expectations of their parents as well as may have to constantly experience isolation. Medical students are highlighted for the considerable relationship that exists between their mental health as well as their job? which requires them to engage with vulnerable patients and face stressful situations. “Lea et al (in Scott et al, 2001) conclude, from an economic psychological perspective, that current higher education students are more tolerant towards debt than either intending students or recent graduates” (Survey of Higher Education Student’s Attitudes to Dept and Term-time Working and their Impact on Attainment, 2005). The occurrence and severity of students’ mental health issues has grown in the current years? throughout the world as well as here in England. Furthermore, it is clear that students fight with mental health and well being issues? ranging from problems of self-esteem and developmental chaos to anxiety, depression, behaviors, self mutilation and eating disorders, schizophrenia and also suicidal behavior. “The dramatic uptick of late adolescents taking psychiatric medications for mental illnesses in college settings is both quantitative and qualitative in nature” (Fletcher et al. 2011). Aim of the study. To identify various mental health and well-being issues faced by the university students in England. To identify the main reasons causing these problems for the university students. To formulate various policies by providing information on the variety of support available to every student with any mental or emotional health difficulties and to emphasize on current procedures accessible to staff for managing and supporting situations. Literature review. Researchers and clinicians have shown that social climate has a strong influence on the people in a particular place or setting, influencing every person’s feeling, behavior, and adaptation (Moos, 2002). “Leaving school and entering further or higher education can be particularly stressful times for young people” (Warwick et al. 2006). Social environment can influence a large range of elements constituting the quality of life, consisting of, “emotional well-being, personal aspirations and achievement, self understanding, decision making, effectiveness, impulse control and risk- taking” (Student Mental Health and Well-Being Task Force Report, 2008). The impact of these problems of mental health and wellbeing on the students can be devastating both academically and socially. “The new and ecological public health has led naturally to a focus on settings as environments or habitats within which people live and work” (Tsouros et al. 1998). Moreover, the suggestions are far-reaching for the whole campus community, in addition to the clinical and academic support services. The WHO Mental Health Declaration (2005) says that, the economic and social wealth of Europe will depend on the development of mental health and well-being of individuals. They write: “Mental health and well-being are fundamental to quality of life, enabling people to experience life as meaningful and to be creative and active citizens. Mental health is an essential component of social cohesion, productivity, and peace and stability in the living environment, contributing to social capital and economic development in societies (WHO, 2005)” (Well-Being: Promoting Mental Health in Schools, 2012). The economic and social costs of mental ill health in the UK are already well recognized and have been addressed to in a number of previous publications (SCMH 2003; NIAMH 2004; SAMH 2006). “With regard to process, primary schools may be more prepared to accept the necessity for looking at the ways in which embedded pedagogical approaches can build competences and encourage active learning and good mental health” (Shucksmith et al. 2005). Promoting mental health and well-being is also an important part of the recovery approach to developing services, care and quality of life for citizens? who face various types of mental health problems in UK, Wales (Mind Your Heart 2009). “Developing the economic case for mental health promotion is a challenging undertaking. It raises a number of complex methodological problems and the extent of published evidence on the cost-effectiveness of different interventions is limited, even drawing on international as well as UK studies” (Friedli & Parsonage, 2009). The Government Office for Science in UK has carried out a wide-ranging assessment of Mental Well-being and Mental Capital as a division of its Foresight programme. Well being in UK (2002) expresses different kinds of issues with regard to sustainable growth and? also? the Health and the Arts Council of UK has commenced Arts in Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Program, joint with the Welsh Assembly Government (Welsh Assembly Government 2002; Arts Council of Wales 2009). Methodology: A research is a systematic process to achieve results by collecting data, analyzing it and finally formulating conclusions from the study. “A system of models, procedures and techniques used to find the results of a research problem is called a research methodology” (Panneerselvam, 2004). This study contains research reports of mental health and wellbeing of university students in England and it aims at finding out the types of problems faced by these students. Methodology is the step by step procedure carried out to interpret the research problem by examining various kinds of problems that are related to it. “Mental health problems can be broadly divided into one of two groups: mental illness or mental disorder” (Kinsella, 2006). The research method used to analyze this study includes design, participants, data collection and data analysis. Research Design: The research design refers to the general strategy that decides to incorporate different elements of the study in a logical and coherent way, thereby, ensuring successfully dealing with the problem of research? “The function of research design is to ensure that the evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible” (De Vaus, 2001). It constitutes the plan for the measurement, collection and analysis of data. “The selection of the most appropriate research design relies on having a good understanding of the aims of the evaluation and an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of different research methods in being able to answer different types of question” (Moule & Goodman, 2009). The training programme consists of both general and subject-specific fundamentals that are delivered all through the research period and are provided by the constituent schools, the University’s Graduate School etc. The Campus Climate Study Group convinced a Consulting Group to bring added knowledge and perspective to its responsibilities. Consulting Group members shared their knowledge in terms of research tool design, data collection and analysis, and also with particular parts of the University community. Participants: The main participants of this study comprise of students, staff and faculty. “The participants did have a strong say in the group decisions on implementation, and in all this they were studied by researchers rather than keeping their own records” (Mc Taggart, 1997). Data Collection and Data Analysis: The research method used in this study is the combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results are assessed and evaluated based on both quantitative as well as qualitative data related with the mental health and wellbeing of university students in UK. This will help in formulating conclusions based on both these aspects. “Qualitative research methods have become increasingly popular in healthcare research in recent years, as can be seen from the increasing numbers of papers published in the medical and nursing literature that have used this methodology” (Brookers, 2007). Quantitative research method relies less on interviews, observations, and small numbers of questionnaires, focus groups, subjective reports and case studies? but rather is more concentrated on gathering and analyzing numerical data and statistics. “The choice and the employment of the data analysis methods depend upon the research problem, sampling procedures, the data collecting methods and the data” (Pawar, 2004). Group members are required to better recognize the campus climate by performing a qualitative web based study and by interviewing students in the focus groups. The Campus Climate Consulting piloted, group designed and managed a qualitative survey regarding issues of mental health and well-being in the community. “The University works with public, private and third sector organisations across its research activities” (Research at the University of York, 2012). The web based survey was planned with the aim to encourage and allow students, along with faculty and staff, to offer their insight and input into these issues as freely as possible. Surveys gave respondents an overall organizing arrangement without imposing prearranged answers. “Specifically, the survey was designed to gather data from respondents in three areas: • Manifestations or symptoms of academic, residential or extracurricular stress at Stanford; • Roots or underlying causes for this stress; and • Aspects of Stanford that promote student well-being” (Student Mental Health and Well-Being Task Force Report, 2008). Ethics: The ethics of social research is significantly related with the character of the researcher’s duties in this relationship or the issues regarding the people being examined should be exposed or not. “In many other kinds of social science research, ethical issues are much more to the fore” (Silverman, 1993). Mental health employees have to frequently think fast to react appropriately. “An effective response requires developed skills, planned resources, the right information, and a reestablished ethical awareness” (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 1998). Result/Findings: International students from a broad range of ethnic, cultural and religious environments come together to the University of England and seek education as well as knowledge? It is significant to be responsive of the problems they face? to live and study in the UK while their mental well-being is being put to the test. In numerous cases? they have to do all these devoid of vacation or weekend access to their homes, family and friends. Another finding is that for some international students, alcohol plays a great role in social activities among the student population. If an international student’s religious or cultural background discourages or disallows the usage of alcohol, this in turn generates a considerable obstacle to complete involvement in a variety of sporting and social activities with peer students. “Alcohol use causes psychological distress or symptoms” (Rassool, 2009). Psychiatric disorder is extensively widespread among the student population and this may have a noteworthy impact on their educational performance. A student who has a severe mental disease may dropout? leave the university and go back home. “College freshman may stop taking medications or receiving mental health services because they want to assert autonomy; they feel leaving home is a time for a new beginning and stopping medication becomes a marker of independence” (Floersch et al. 2011). Generally, mental health symptoms at an increased rate are seen in the cases of female students. Monetary pressures and academic anxieties are constantly recognized as significant contributors to mental health indications. The majority of students engage in term-time work for financial reasons (including inadequacies of student loans, and the desire to limit the amounts borrowed) (Survey of Higher Education Student’s Attitudes to Dept and Term-time Working and their Impact on Attainment, 2005). The attitudes and expectations of international students towards mental health services will replicate the variety of experience that they carry from their home countries. “The difficulty most frequently experienced by supervisors was student’s inability to acknowledge their problem or to accept help” (Standley & Manthorpe, 2002). In certain cases, mental problems will direct to ‘somatisation’. Psychiatric services are always inadequately funded in low and middle income nations? and more classy psychotropic drugs are not easily available. Discussion/Interpretation: Students experiencing relentless mental illnesses are at a higher risk of drop out and academic failure. Ensuring stability of support and suitable observance can be chiefly demanding when the students retreat from their home surroundings to reside in a university community? University workload and demands amplify and academic courses require for much more autonomous learning and the capability to administer time and prioritize work. Both of these can be easily interrupted by mental illness and abuse of alcohol and drugs. Consequently students have to face academic rejection? moreover? even the least harmful mental disorders might render the student incapable of ever reaching his or her full potential. “Health care and school personnel need to be aware of and be prepared for these young adults, who have been shown to be at risk of mental health problems and lower levels of vitality” (Ali et al. 2011). “Daily life for young adults who care for a person with mental illness: a qualitative study” (Ali et al. 2011). The returns on public investment will lead to a loss if students drop out during their higher education. In the university environment, especially in the residential accommodation for students, there is a great chance of surrendering into peer pressure and falling prey to alcohol consumption and drug addiction, which would later result in exacerbation of existing health issues as well as create new ones. “Negative experiences not only affect their mental health and academic achievement, but limit their capacity to acquire skills to feel confident in interpersonal interactions” (Cattan & Tilford, 2006). There is a lot of stress on students to achieve superior honors degrees? with the bigger aim of illustrating proof of achievement in other areas like sports clubs and university societies or partaking in voluntary activities. Students who have dropped out of their classes due to mental illness may experience a drawback while applying for jobs because of breaks from course or delay in academic work during the recovery of their health. The balanced and supporting group sessions on recreation, assertiveness, confidence building and exam stress should be conducted by counseling service to alleviate the situation to a great extent. Recommendations There is a requirement for health promotional attempts to pay closer attention on both possible performers and prospective victims to gear this problem. Peer contacts? social networking, overly religious association etc emerge to have a good influence that fights with various mental illness issues. Additional research, by means of evidence-based diagnostic criterion and estimations of severity, is immediately required. “Evidence based health care consists of three main stages Producing evidence Making evidence available Using evidence” (Gray, 2001). Chronological potential studies conducted in academic institutions are required to provide precise approximations of the occurrence and frequency of mental disorders and to check whether these are varying in due course or not. There is a necessity to recognize the cultural, demographic and social associates of treatment access and to consider the steps that should be taken to improve this crisis and also embed “the rationale for mental health support and promotion into college-wide policies – whether these specifically address mental health or are more general in nature (such as welfare, learning support and equal opportunity policies)” (Warwick et al.2006). Conclusion: It becomes crucial to concentrate on sub-clinical suffering and analysis of main mental illness and well being? when considering the epidemiology of mental illness among the university students undergoing higher education in England. Socio-demographic aspects connected with the symptoms of illness consist of social class, gender, nationality and ethnicity. With respect to the rising cultural and social diversity of the students, it is likely that there may arise conditions that cannot be treated and other reporting of such symptoms. 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