2019 Funding Winners

Previous research has shown that the first year of university can be a particularly lonely time for undergraduate students. The most frequently identified period that students will likely experience loneliness is during the first three months of university (Jopling & Valtorta, 2019). Students are often living away from home for the first time, learning how to deal with independence, and forming new friendships whilst managing the pressure of exams, coursework and their own as well as other people’s expectations of them. Building on our previous research (McIntyre, Worsley, Corcoran, Harrison-Woods, & Bentall, 2018) and recent qualitative findings from Jopling and Valtorta (2019), we aim to explore the unique transition period from school or college into university with a specific focus on the role of accommodation in student mental health and students’ expectations of university living versus their actual experiences.

During focus groups, first year students will be asked a number of open-ended questions on topics such as forming friendships in residential halls, use of communal areas, withdrawal spaces, and their expectations of university living. This qualitative data will be supplemented with quantitative data through the addition of a section within our annual student mental health survey to explore satisfaction with accommodation. We are conducting this research across two different universities in Liverpool – the University of Liverpool (UoL) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) as these two institutions have different models of student accommodation (UoL owns their own accommodation whereas LJMU have private providers). Thus, it will be possible to explore the similarities and differences in built form and in ethos between university-owned accommodation and private accommodation. We will do this by conducting interviews with key members of the universities’ accommodation directorates in relation to their potential and aims to build strong and satisfying student communities.

To summarise, our research will explore the unique transition period from school or college into university using mixed methods. This research will have a particular focus on how models of accommodation and students’ expectations of university life impact on their capacity to flourish as a first year student.

“Things and the mind” applies an art-based participatory method, where students have a central role from the beginning until the end. The project is explored and co-created by students, giving them the needed agency to talk about their experiences and choose how they will be represented. 

Student-volunteers, together with a graphic art student, will produce their own graphic memoir narratives about their experiences of mental health and material “things” that affect it. A graphic memoir features illustrations in a comic-like format to present lived experiences from an authentic perspective of the author(s). Graphic memoir is a powerful way of expressing lived experiences of mental health. A solid number of graphic memoirs and zines about mental health experiences exist. However, no graphic memoir so far has focused on materiality, as collectively expressed by students reflecting on their lived mental health experiences, which is what we will develop in this project. The materiality in question includes animate and inanimate matter, such as the human body and various artefacts that students use and encounter. This research will develop a better understanding of material culture and the role of materiality in student mental health.
 

This research project aims to gather insight about student mental health issues and co-produce a 360 video based intervention, using virtual reality headsets for increased immersion, which will increase awareness and knowledge of mental health issues, whilst also providing low-level support by experts. The research team will interview students and disability/welfare workers in focus groups across four UK university sites, to gain a joint understanding of the most commonly experienced mental health conditions.  From these interviews, the research team will develop an understanding of potential mental health disorders/conditions experienced/developed as a result of the lived university experience of the students themselves. Subsequently, we intend to create a library of immersive 360 video content providing professional advice and education regarding these disorders/conditions that students can easily and confidentially access.

The lessons we learn will inform a larger UK wide study with the aim of developing a comprehensive suite of videos that can become part of a holistic approach to prevention and treatment for low level early intervention services.  If we can address low level conditions earlier, it is possible to make interventions more targeted and reduce the possibility that lower level mental health conditions can deteriorate further and become more entrenched. 

It is estimated that the number of people in higher education (HE) in the UK exceeds 2,343,095 (Higher Education Statistics Agency [HESA], 2018). UK HE institutions have attracted 458,490 international students in 2017/2018 academic year, and nearly 45% of them were from Asian countries (HESA, 2018). Asian international students contribute a significant proportion of the income of UK HE institutions, but the unique challenges and sources of stress faced by them are often overlooked. Many studies have documented the various psychosocial, academic, and financial challenges in the HE environment (Furnham, Cook, Martin, & Batey, 2011; Ryan, Shochet, & Stallman, 2010). Research has yet to specifically explore what is distinctive about student mental health drawing upon Asian international students’ perspectives. 

The project's main objectives are to look at the distinct concerns Asian international students experience in terms of their mental health, issues in disclosing mental health problems and in seeking help for mental health within one HE institution (University of Strathclyde). Some key questions emerge from the literature, which will be addressed in the proposed research:
 

1. How do Asian international students understand mental health?
2. What factors influence Asian international students’ disclosure of mental health problems?
3. What factors influence/inhibit Asian international students’ ability to seek help within HE? 
4. How can HE institutions develop more appropriate services for Asian international students experiencing mental health problems?