Whilst the academic landscape is undoubtedly changing, evidence still suggests that research remains a highly competitive, strenuous and lonely profession. According to Nature, a 2019 study revealed that “more than one-third of respondents (36%) said that they have sought help for anxiety or depression caused by their PhD studies”, a third of which sought this help from places other than their own institution.

The Student Mind’s Key Questions project has identified that students are curious about the relationship between university life and stress. Connor, a member of our student research team, has been exploring this question further, asking if chronic stress overlooked in students because it is assumed that students should be stressed, and it is normal to be stressed. 

Have you adapted your teaching practice with student mental health in mind, or have a curriculum that you think might have an impact on student mental health? If so, the Education for Mental Health team would like to hear from you!! 

From the SMaRteN Student Teams

How are you responding to the Covid-19 lockdown? While for some it is a much-appreciated break from the speed and noise of normal life, it brings uncertainty and anxiety to many others. At SMaRteN, the Student Mental Health Research Network, we’ve been thinking about what you can do to look after your mental health.

Originally published on the Student Minds blog, reposted with permission from Student Minds and the author.

​Over the coming weeks we will all experience changes to the way we are working and to the environments in which we are working. Many of us may now be facing the prospect of studying from home in preparation for online assessments. For some PGR students, data collection may be disrupted, conferences cancelled, supervision may change in format or frequency. We may not have face to face contact with our peers, or be present in our lecture theatres, labs, offices or schools, and so online networks can be helpful to share our worries, or our strategies for coping, or tips for using technology to stay connected. 

Students in the UK are probably less likely to fail than ever before. For instance, the proportion of first class honours awarded has tripled since 1994.(1) Yet fear of academic failure has risen, particularly among girls here, who now rank fifth in the world for fear of failure.(2)
 
Here I explore what can be done to reduce this fear. I’d welcome insights on this from fellow researchers.

New Student Team members Elizabeth James (Teesside University) and Chloe Casey (Bournemouth University) talk about their first month as part of SMaRteN, and the training days they attended to prepare for work on research projects on Big Data and Key Questions.

The University Mental Health Charter recently highlighted student voice and participation as an enabling strategy for universities to effectively coordinate whole university change to student mental health outcomes. Student voice and participation via the co-production of student mental health research can offer one particularly rewarding route to understanding and responding to the student mental health context and support needs. The UKRI-funded Student Mental Health Research Network [SMaRteN] models a particularly ambitious, strategic, and effective approach to co-producing student mental health research. As an outgoing member of the SMaRteN student-led research team, I share my experiences of how the principles of co-production can be applied in research to better understand and change the state of student mental health in the higher education sector.