Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education students were reported as one of the most affected in terms of wellbeing. In the current study, we explored higher education students’ self-perceptions on why and how their mental wellbeing was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related measures....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/5/282 |
| _version_ | 1797598276492460032 |
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| author | Nina Van Eekert Sara De Bruyn Edwin Wouters Sarah Van de Velde |
| author_facet | Nina Van Eekert Sara De Bruyn Edwin Wouters Sarah Van de Velde |
| author_sort | Nina Van Eekert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education students were reported as one of the most affected in terms of wellbeing. In the current study, we explored higher education students’ self-perceptions on why and how their mental wellbeing was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related measures. Focus group discussions with potentially vulnerable university student groups, as well as university staff, revealed that the students described the pandemic as a period of reduced mental wellbeing. Overall, students identified two main reasons for this: the lingering aspect of the pandemic and restricted social contact and support. Moreover, we identified several underlying factors of specific student groups’ vulnerability in terms of wellbeing: entering the university during the COVID-19 pandemic and students’ living situation, employment status, financial stress, and home environment. Moreover, as a potential mitigating factor, the availability of university facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as beneficial for students’ mental wellbeing. Our results indicate the importance of universities acting as social spaces that facilitate connection and peer support and, thus, working preventively towards the improved mental wellbeing of students. Furthermore, university support in providing facilities to increase inclusivity should be organized or improved. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:19:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1bda5cf30e0845a599534423b75f6ca2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:19:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-1bda5cf30e0845a599534423b75f6ca22023-11-18T03:17:18ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602023-05-0112528210.3390/socsci12050282Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 PandemicNina Van Eekert0Sara De Bruyn1Edwin Wouters2Sarah Van de Velde3Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Sociology, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Sociology, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Sociology, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education students were reported as one of the most affected in terms of wellbeing. In the current study, we explored higher education students’ self-perceptions on why and how their mental wellbeing was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its related measures. Focus group discussions with potentially vulnerable university student groups, as well as university staff, revealed that the students described the pandemic as a period of reduced mental wellbeing. Overall, students identified two main reasons for this: the lingering aspect of the pandemic and restricted social contact and support. Moreover, we identified several underlying factors of specific student groups’ vulnerability in terms of wellbeing: entering the university during the COVID-19 pandemic and students’ living situation, employment status, financial stress, and home environment. Moreover, as a potential mitigating factor, the availability of university facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as beneficial for students’ mental wellbeing. Our results indicate the importance of universities acting as social spaces that facilitate connection and peer support and, thus, working preventively towards the improved mental wellbeing of students. Furthermore, university support in providing facilities to increase inclusivity should be organized or improved.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/5/282higher education studentsmental wellbeinglingering COVID-19 pandemicsocial support |
| spellingShingle | Nina Van Eekert Sara De Bruyn Edwin Wouters Sarah Van de Velde Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic Social Sciences higher education students mental wellbeing lingering COVID-19 pandemic social support |
| title | Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Understanding Mental Wellbeing amongst Potentially Vulnerable Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | understanding mental wellbeing amongst potentially vulnerable higher education students during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | higher education students mental wellbeing lingering COVID-19 pandemic social support |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/5/282 |
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