When and how to involve trusted contacts if serious concerns are raised about a student's wellbeing.

Forbes-McKay, Katrina E.; Henderson, Sarah

Abstract

The mental wellbeing of university students is of growing concern. HESA (2022) reported 122,530 students with a recorded mental health condition in the UK in 2016/17, whilst the Office for National Statistics reported 319 suicide deaths amongst HE students between 2017 and 2020. Evidence suggests people with mental health issues recover better with social support and most students appear to approve of a university emergency contact scheme (ECS); however many universities have not implemented an ECS. Recent guidance from PAPYRUS 2022, however, is urging universities to develop clear policies on the involvement of trusted contacts when serious concerns are raised about a student's health or safety. This study aims to investigate the relationship between student well-being and social support, and to explore student perspectives on the introduction of an ECS. Students from the Robert Gordon University School of Applied Social Studies (n=113) were recruited via opportunistic sampling and asked to complete a Jisc online survey including the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List shortened version (Cohen et al. 1985), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (Tennant et al. 2007) and questions about an ECS. Findings indicated a significant positive correlation between mental wellbeing and social support. Most students (96%) supported an ECS, and of those opposed, there were concerns over a loss of agency, worries about identifying a potential contact, or the contact worsening the situation. In terms of the scheme's format, the preferred name was 'Named Trusted Person' (NTP) Scheme, the preferred NTP was parent/guardian or partner, and the preferred contact was Personal Tutor via text/call to mobile phone. Students felt contact should be made after a period of 14 days of disengagement and when there were serious concerns about their mental health, physical health, or personal safety. To conclude, universities should seriously consider the implementation of NTPS to support student wellbeing.

Citation

FORBES-MCKAY, K.E. and HENDERSON, S. 2023. When and how to involve trusted contacts if serious concerns are raised about a student's wellbeing. Presented at the 2023 International higher education teaching and learning annual conference (HETL 2023): re-imagining education: collaboration and compassion, 12-14 June 2023, Aberdeen, UK.

• Presentation Conference Type: Lecture
• Conference Name: 2023 International higher education teaching and learning annual conference (HETL 2023): re-imagining education: collaboration and compassion
• Conference Location: Aberdeen, UK
• Start Date: Jun 12, 2023
• End Date: Jun 14, 2023
• Deposit Date: Sep 7, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 7, 2023
• Keywords: Student wellbeing; Student mental health; Undergraduate students; Graduate students; Mental health crisis intervention; Mental health support
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2072057
• Additional Information: The abstract for this presentation appeared in the book of abstracts with the following title: "When and how to involve a 'named trusted person' when serious concerns are raised about a student's well-being."