Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case
Student mental health and wellbeing is a focus of great attention and concern. While research is increasingly investigating institutional factors that might affect mental health and wellbeing, university infrastructures and frameworks themselves are rarely considered. This Short Communication takes...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-12-01
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| Series: | SSM - Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000342 |
| _version_ | 1797975826643288064 |
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| author | Felicity Callard Dimitra Kotouza Philip Garnett Leon Rocha |
| author_facet | Felicity Callard Dimitra Kotouza Philip Garnett Leon Rocha |
| author_sort | Felicity Callard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Student mental health and wellbeing is a focus of great attention and concern. While research is increasingly investigating institutional factors that might affect mental health and wellbeing, university infrastructures and frameworks themselves are rarely considered. This Short Communication takes the United Kingdom as an exemplary case to outline the implementation and intensified use of digital technologies, infrastructures, and data, as well as the expansion of new relationships between universities and other (often corporate) entities. We outline the need for greater scrutiny and deliberation concerning: (i) gaps in evidence and evaluation; (ii) uncertainty regarding how systematically students are being consulted; and (iii) broader implications of these new markets and data uses. These approaches are influencing conceptualisations of student mental health and wellbeing, and affecting which actors and which tools are measuring and intervening in students’ mental health. Many ethical, political and clinical issues are raised by such approaches: they deserve greater critical attention from all in mental health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:41:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ba36f14649da41828db7411af664682e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-5603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T04:41:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM - Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba36f14649da41828db7411af664682e2022-12-28T04:19:48ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032022-12-012100094Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary caseFelicity Callard0Dimitra Kotouza1Philip Garnett2Leon Rocha3School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK; Corresponding author.University of Lincoln, UKUniversity of York, Church Lane Building, Science Park, Heslington, York, YO10 5DF, UKUniversity of Lincoln, UKStudent mental health and wellbeing is a focus of great attention and concern. While research is increasingly investigating institutional factors that might affect mental health and wellbeing, university infrastructures and frameworks themselves are rarely considered. This Short Communication takes the United Kingdom as an exemplary case to outline the implementation and intensified use of digital technologies, infrastructures, and data, as well as the expansion of new relationships between universities and other (often corporate) entities. We outline the need for greater scrutiny and deliberation concerning: (i) gaps in evidence and evaluation; (ii) uncertainty regarding how systematically students are being consulted; and (iii) broader implications of these new markets and data uses. These approaches are influencing conceptualisations of student mental health and wellbeing, and affecting which actors and which tools are measuring and intervening in students’ mental health. Many ethical, political and clinical issues are raised by such approaches: they deserve greater critical attention from all in mental health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000342DataficationDigital appsHigher educationMental healthStudentsWellbeing |
| spellingShingle | Felicity Callard Dimitra Kotouza Philip Garnett Leon Rocha Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case SSM - Mental Health Datafication Digital apps Higher education Mental health Students Wellbeing |
| title | Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case |
| title_full | Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case |
| title_fullStr | Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case |
| title_short | Mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism: The United Kingdom as exemplary case |
| title_sort | mental health in universities in an age of digital capitalism the united kingdom as exemplary case |
| topic | Datafication Digital apps Higher education Mental health Students Wellbeing |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560322000342 |
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