In recent years, mental well-being has been identified as a problem for university students globally, chances are that student’s mental illnesses will only get worse with the sudden changes and uncertainty triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response to this, a nationally co-ordinated student survey initiated by Universities South Africa (USAf), was launched on 9 April. Funded by the South African Medical Research Council, vice-chancellors and student deans at a variety of universities that have also backed the initiative. 

The research is part of the World Mental Health Organisation International College Student Initiative, an international network of professionals working together to improve the mental health of university students. 

Professor Jason Bantjes from the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University (SU), encourages all undergraduate students studying at publicly funded universities in South Africa to take part in the survey.

Prof. Bantjes, who is also a principal investigator of the national student survey, worked collaboratively with his colleagues from SU’s departments of Psychology and Psychiatry on the initiative, together with researchers from the University of Cape Town and Harvard University.  

The anonymous online survey serves to spread awareness, both locally and globally, of the need for campus-based programmes to improve the psychosocial health of students and close the treatment gap.

Bantjes says that treatment rates are low, with between 20 and 30 percent of students with mental health problems receiving treatment.

“The survey is important, particularly at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic when many students will be feeling stressed about the disruption of their studies and anxious about the social and economic implications of the current international health crises,” Prof Bantjes explains.

More importantly, the survey will provide feedback on the resilience of students, access to treatment, including their preferences and attitudes to psycho-social services and approaches.

In emphasising the importance of the survey, Bantjes says that recent South African research data shows that 20.8 percent of first-year students have severe anxiety disorders over the past 12 months, and 13.6 percent have depression issues.

Such mental health issues have a number of side effects, including decreased social interaction, academic failure and suicide.

“Data recently collected from first-year students at two large South African universities showed that 30,6 percent had thoughts of suicide in the past 12 months,” Bantjes says.

Bantjes says invitations to take part in the survey have already been sent to students at Johannesburg University, Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University and Mangosuthu University of Technology via email. 

Students at Wits University were enrolled this week and other universities will be added over the next two weeks. Subsequently, the details about the survey will be posted on internal electronic student forums.

“This is particularly important given that mental health resources in South Africa are scarce and universities in the country face considerable resource constraints,” Bantjes concludes.

African News Agency