Mental Health Needs Assessment: Creating Inclusive University Communities that Foster Mental Health and Academic Success for Students with Mental Health Issues and Concerns

Background: One of the important occupations for young adults is participating in the occupation of schooling. Besides developing their future career, university education also provides the context for students to attain... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
One of the important occupations for young adults is participating in the occupation of schooling. Besides developing their future career, university education also provides the context for students to attain wellbeing. The 2013 National College Health Assessment reported that over 37% of Canadian post-secondary students were so depressed that they had difficulty functioning.

Method:
We conducted a Mental Health Needs Assessment (MHNA) among students attending a Canadian university in 2012-2013 and found that mental health stigma on campus was stressful for students and prevented them from accessing mental health services. Our 2013-2014 MHNA explored students’ perspectives and experiences of the stigmatization of mental illness and generated action plans for minimizing it. The 2014-15 MHNA builds on these assessments by aiming to explore university faculty and staff’s views of how academic communities can promote students’ mental health and well-being. Focus groups with faculty and staff were conducted to discuss how to create an inclusive learning environment that addresses the needs of university students with mental health issues and supports their academic success. The findings were used to develop and administer a campus-wide survey among students to investigate their perspectives on the faculty and staff’s views.

Results:
Systemic, pedagogical and policy-related changes that enhance the inclusiveness of post-secondary education were be identified.

Conclusion:
Barriers and enablers are identified from student perspectives to effect inclusiveness that enables participation in post-secondary education, and fosters occupational justices.

Application to Practice:
This study identified the emerging role of occupational therapists in academic institutions.