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

Thompson, Miles; Pawson, Chris; Delfino, Arianna; Saunders, Alex; Parker, Holly

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Authors

Chris Pawson Chris.Pawson@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Applied Psychology and Behavioural Science

Arianna Delfino

Alex Saunders

Holly Parker



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.

Citation

Thompson, M., Pawson, C., Delfino, A., Saunders, A., & Parker, H. (2022). Student mental health in higher education: The contextual influence of “cuts, competition & comparison”. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), Article e12461. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12461

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 7, 2021
Online Publication Date Oct 18, 2021
Publication Date 2022-06
Deposit Date Oct 18, 2021
Publicly Available Date Oct 19, 2022
Journal British Journal of Educational Psychology
Print ISSN 0007-0998
Electronic ISSN 2044-8279
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 92
Issue 2
Article Number e12461
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12461
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7952604

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This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Thompson, M., Pawson, C., Delfino, A., Saunders, A., & Parker, H. (2022). Student mental health in higher education: The contextual influence of “cuts, competition & comparison”. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12461. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited


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http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved

Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Thompson, M., Pawson, C., Delfino, A., Saunders, A., & Parker, H. (2022). Student mental health in higher education: The contextual influence of “cuts, competition & comparison”. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12461. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited






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