Volume 92, Issue 2 p. 367-393
Original Article

Student mental health in higher education: the contextual influence of “cuts, competition & comparison”

Miles Thompson

Corresponding Author

Miles Thompson

Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG), Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Correspondence should be addressed to Miles Thompson, Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG), Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK (email: [email protected]).

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal), ​Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Chris Pawson

Chris Pawson

Psychological Sciences Research Group (PSRG), Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Contribution: ​Investigation (equal), Project administration (equal), Validation (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Arianna Delfino

Arianna Delfino

Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal)

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Alex Saunders

Alex Saunders

Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal)

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Holly Parker

Holly Parker

Department of Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

Contribution: Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal), Writing - original draft (equal)

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First published: 18 October 2021
Citations: 1

Abstract

Background

The mental health of students in UK higher education (HE) is receiving increased attention, and support services for students are under increased pressure.

Aims

Drawing on ecological systems theory (EST), this study sought to explore possible contextual influences, over time, on student distress within HE.

Method and Samples

We conducted a two-stage Delphi study, first asking UK professionals (n = 236) from primary, secondary, further education, and HE to provide possible reasons for increases in student distress. The material was reduced to 58 representative statements across all sectors with a further 10 specific to HE. In stage 2, 89 participants rated each statement in terms of whether it: (1) takes place and (2) contributes to distress.

Results

The results suggest multiple contextual influences potentially contributing to student distress. They can be summarized using the words: cuts, competition, and comparison. Education professionals in our sample reported that, upstream from HE, pressures on schools and colleges have led to a narrowing of curricula, with a more singular focus on assessment. Reduced teaching teams and pressurized staff unintentionally embed an assessment focus within students who unhelpfully compare themselves with peers while also struggling with wider societal cuts, austerity, and political uncertainty.

Conclusions

The discussion draws on the peer-reviewed literature and relevant reports, discussing them in the context of EST, finding considerable support for these influences. The potential importance of adopting a contextual approach and incorporating this knowledge into the way we understand and tackle students’ distress and their preparedness for HE is discussed.

Conflicts of interest

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings are available from the corresponding author.