University Students’ Mental Health and Illness Experiences in Health and Allied Health Programs: A Scoping Review

Strategies to increase accessibility for students with disabilities in health professional education programs: A scoping review: BEME Review No. 94

PURPOSE

Despite legislative changes, students with disabilities experience lower retention and higher attrition in health professional programs (HPP), compared to nondisabled peers. The purpose of this study was to identify strategies in the literature that may improve HPP accessibility for disabled students.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was applied to this scoping review. Five databases, four Google domains, and five websites of organizations that promote student accessibility were searched. Reviewers applied inclusion and exclusion criteria for title and abstract screening; conducted full-text reviews; and extracted and analyzed data using counts, frequencies, coding, and categorizing to identify strategies.

RESULTS

Strategies to improve HPP accessibility were reported most often in literature from the USA, and by nursing and medical professions. The most salient strategy was 'types of accommodations' provided by HPP, followed by 'education, critical reflection and culture change for educators and staff.'

CONCLUSIONS

While types of accommodations are reported often, they may not be widely applicable nor generalizable given the number of students with disabilities are increasing and the need to consider each student's unique accommodations. A multi-pronged approach of education, critical reflection, and culture change for educators and staff may support shifting HPP more broadly towards embracing inclusivity.

Breaking sedentary behavior among university students: the interest of incorporating cycling desks concurrently with an academic task at light intensity

Introduction: University students experience ≈ 9 h of sitting/day, which may support interventions like active desks. Participants: University students (n = 24) Method: Randomized crossover trial aimed to compare effects of sitting (SED), low and moderate-intensity cycling desks (CDLPA; CDMPA) concurrent to an academic task (30-minute video + written exam). Selective visual attention (Tobii Glasses 2) was measured throughout the intervention, and workload (NASA-TLX) and anxiety (POMS-SF) were assessed before and after the video and post-exam. Results: In this pilot study, the exam scores were lower for CDMPA compared to CDLPA (p = 0.009). During the video, selective visual attention was lower for CDMPA compared to SED and CDMPA compared to CDLPA (both p < 0.001). After the video, the perceived workload was higher with CDMPA, compared to SED and CDLPA (both p < 0.001). Anxiety increased throughout the experiment, regardless of the conditions (p = 0.015). Conclusion: CPLPA may be prioritized to increase physical activity levels without hindering learning processes.

Strategies to increase accessibility for students with disabilities in health professional programs: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this scoping review is to identify strategies in the literature that may increase the accessibility of health professional programs for students with disabilities.

INTRODUCTION

The number of students with disabilities in health professional programs is increasing. However, since students with disabilities experience barriers to education, their retention rates are potentially lower and their attrition rates are potentially higher compared with their non-disabled peers.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Academic and gray literature that identifies strategies intended to increase accessibility to health professional programs for students with disabilities will be included. Only articles published from 2000 onward will be considered for inclusion.

METHODS

This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Databases to be searched will include Embase (Ovid), MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), ERIC (ProQuest), and Web of Science. Gray literature will be searched for using Google. Websites of known disability organizations will also be searched. There will be no language limitations. Paired reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, and then full-text articles. Data will be extracted using a tool developed by the reviewers. The extracted data will be synthesized and reported in tabular format, accompanied by a narrative summary connecting the results to the objective of the review.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework https://osf.io/bsyrt.

An exploration of mental health, stress and well-being concerns among health students undertaking rural placements in Australia during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 led to an increase in stressors for students on rural placements, but little is known about how this impacted their mental health and well-being.

OBJECTIVE

To explore self-reported mental health, stress and well-being concerns among allied health, nursing and medical students who completed a scheduled University Department of Rural Health (UDRH)-faciliated rural placement in Australia between February and October 2020 (n = 1066).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional design involving an online survey measuring mental health, stress and well-being concerns. The survey was distributed via email by the 16 UDRHs across Australia.

FINDINGS

A total of 42.9%, 63.8% and 41.1% of survey respondents reported concerns about their mental health, levels of stress and well-being, respectively, during the early stages of the pandemic. Multiple logistic regression models found clinical training, course progression and financial concerns were predictive of negative mental health, increased stress and reduced well-being, while feeling connected was predictive of positive mental health, reduced stress and increased well-being.

DISCUSSION

Universities, UDRHs and health placement sites all have a responsibility to support the mental health and well-being of students undertaking rural placements. This support needs to encompass strategies to reduce financial stress, protect learning opportunities and increase connectedness. Ensuring adequate resourcing and support for those providing rural placement opportunities will safeguard quality rural placements during times of pandemic disruption.

Factors Associated with Mental Health among Malaysian University Music Students: Roles of Fear of COVID-19, Nomophobia, Loneliness, Sleep Quality, and Socioeconomic Status

Previous mental health studies have shown higher levels of anxiety, stress, and depression symptoms among university music students. In general, some similar findings have been observed for Malaysian music university students. In diagnosing the complications of mental health, there is consensus that it is essential to develop and evaluate a model oriented toward mental health illness prevention and treatment. To date, a suitable pattern for estimating mental health in terms of anxiety, stress, and depression among music university students is lacking. To fill this gap, we collected the necessary data from 691 music and 871 general students who were students for one year. The introduced pattern includes socioeconomic status, fear of COVID-19, nomophobia, sleep quality, loneliness, and mental health. Our data analysis proved that the levels of anxiety, depression, and stress of music students were lower than those of general students. Unlike some previous studies, in this study, the fear of COVID-19 and nomophobia didn't have the most significant impact on mental health. The most significant impacts were related to sleep quality and loneliness. These findings have the potential to inform health promotion and services in the music education system.

Impact of a resilience and wellbeing program: A longitudinal cohort study of student dietitians

In response to growing evidence that student healthcare professionals find professional practicum stressful and that it negatively affects their mental health, a six-session psychoeducation Resilience and Wellbeing Program was implemented by a professional counselor in Year 3 of the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Griffith University, Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate student dietitians' perceptions of whether the program improved their ability to cope with practicum stressors. The study used a longitudinal cohort design, with students completing surveys at three time points: before and after the program and after the final practicum. The study was completed with two cohorts of students between 2018 and 2020 (n = 111). Most respondents (95%) found their professional practicum to be stressful or challenging on at least some occasions, mostly due to constantly being assessed (56%), finances (40%), and being away from usual supports (38%). Almost all students rated the program as having some value (99%), with the content about stress and self-care the most highly rated. Qualitative comments revealed the program helped students to manage stress by prioritizing their personal needs. Students used stress management skills during the practicum to achieve balance in their lives, despite pandemic conditions.

Materials extrusion-inspired engineering reflection of social pressure-induced environmental impact on academy community well-being

BACKGROUND

Existing issues with student mental health are the sources of ongoing violation of academic and educational integrity in learning and instructional dynamics in all educational institutions worldwide.

OBJECTIVE

This didactical paper addresses the practical case of educational integrity violations induced by student mental illness. It presents a thought-provoking unified viewpoint of the existence of a non-obvious geometric analogy between the irreversible psycho-social process of mental disorder growth and the irreversible pressure forming-induced deformation process of materials extrusion through an angular domain.

METHODS

This paper uses the method of geometric analogy between the dynamics of social irreversible processes in human society and technical irreversible processes in materials extrusion.

RESULTS

The novel analogy between the loss of elliptical shape of an initial circular material element within pressure-extruded material and the development of student mental inadequacy during intensive university education was firstly studied and analyzed in detail.

CONCLUSIONS

The author-proposed original socio-technical cross-disciplinary analogy improves and broadens student understanding of nonlinear dynamics both in the technical processes of macroscopic rotation formation in pressure-formed material and in the bio-social processes of psycho-neurological pathology development within a learner's mind.