Stellenbosch University
Welcome to Stellenbosch University
New study hopes to build caring universities
Author: Lynne Rippenaar-Moses
Published: 17/05/2017

With rates of psychological distress amongst students on the increase at universities across the globe, Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have launched the Caring Universities project to learn more about the risk factors and trajectory of mental health disorders and document the support needs of students.

As part of this project, an online World Student Health Survey was launched on Thursday 11 May with first-year university students from SU and UCT invited to participate in the survey. 

"The information gathered in this survey will help universities in South Africa plan effective prevention programmes and implement innovative interventions," explains local researcher Dr Jason Bantjes from the Psychology Department at SU.

The rest of the research team includes Prof Christine Lochner, Mr Lian Taljaard and Ms Janine Roos of the Medical Research Council's (MRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders at SU and Prof Dan Stein of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT.  Others involved in the project include Dr Wylene Saal, a post-doctoral fellow appointed by SU, and Mr Franco Gericke and Ms Maria Annandale, both honours students in the Psychology Department at SU. The team will work closely with international experts from more than 10 countries to investigate the prevalence of common mental disorders among undergraduate university students around the world.

"Our aim is to quantify how many students are affected by mental health problems, but we also hope to learn more about the risk factors and trajectory of these disorders, and document the support needs of students," explains Bantjes. "Furthermore we want to understand what psychological factors contribute to academic success and university dropout."

"This information will be utilised to develop innovative, cost-effective and efficient interventions to promote resilience and reduce psychological distress on university campuses."

Considering the statistics, the research to be conducted may literally help save lives and will certainly help to improve the wellbeing of university students.

"In South Africa as many as 12% of university students suffer from symptoms of depression and 15% report clinically significant symptoms of anxiety. Studies indicate that approximately 50% of university students abuse substances, most commonly alcohol. One study found that 24.5% of South African university students reported having had thoughts of suicide in the previous two weeks. A recent survey of university students in the USA that was conducted by the American College Health Association revealed that 44% of students reported having felt "so depressed it was difficult to function" at some point in the past 12 months. These statistics paint a rather grim picture of the psychological health of university students," adds Bantjes.

"Mental health problems have a serious impact on academic attainment and lead to problems such as academic failure and university attrition." 

Some reports suggest that as many as half of students who enrol at South African universities never finish their degrees. Dropout rates are also worse among students from historically disadvantaged communities.

"The reasons for this high dropout rate are poorly understood which makes it difficult for universities to plan effective interventions. There is however little doubt that untreated and poorly managed psychological problems contribute to high dropout rates," says Bantjes.

Only 1 in 6 students with mental health problems receive minimally adequate mental health treatment. While approximately 24% of students in high income countries receive the mental health care they require, the situation is a lot more dire in most parts of the world. In developing countries, like South Africa, between 8% and 11% of students with mental health problems receive psychological treatment.

According to the researchers, it is important to focus on the mental health of university students, especially because this developmental period is associated with major psychological, social, academic and financial challenges.

"We need to remember that university students have to negotiate a number of tricky transitions, including entering young adulthood, changes in family and peer relationships, leaving home, entering a new social context, increased opportunities for substance misuse and an increase in academic pressure. The stress of dealing with these transitions may contribute to poor psychological functioning. Many university students also face financial challenges and other life stressors including exposure to trauma."

At the same time, young adulthood is also considered a peak period for the onset of several serious psychological problems, including psychotic illnesses, depression, anxiety disorders and substance use problems. Studies have shown that left untreated, these disorders can have a serious impact on students' development, motivation and attainment, leading to university dropout and academic failure. 

"This research will help us to better understand the mental health needs of our country's university students, but most importantly it will also help us find innovative ways to improve our support of students and address their psychological needs."  

The first-year survey data collection for 2017 will end at the end of June, however, the team of researchers will follow up over the next four years with all the students who participate in the survey to monitor them until they complete their undergraduate degrees.

"The project will therefore run for at least another four years. In the meantime we will also start testing interventions so the project may continue long after that time."

First-year students at SU who would like to participate in this study can obtain more information by visitinghttp://mentalhealthsa.org.za and by contacting Dr Wylene Saal (wylene@sun.ac.za) or Ms Janine Roos (jroos@sun.ac.za).