Abstract:

The topic of student's mental health has gained wide attention in higher education research over the last years. However, research usually emphasises either individual traits of students or institutional aspects (study conditions, availability of consulting services, etc.) as relevant determinants for student well-being. The interrelatedness between individual and institutional factors thus seems to be under researched. The present study addresses the respective gap. It reanalyses existing data bases, both from higher education research and public health, in order to identify room for the development of theory-led research on the interplay between different sources of student mental well-being. As an outcome, new scales on mental health will be developed that will be ready for utilisation in large scale surveys of higher education research and also for institutional research at the level of individual universities.

The project has been recently initiated. Thus the proposed contribution focusses on: 1. The theoretical groundwork which is rooted in social inequality, social capital, and social integration schools of thought, as well as in social-psychological theory; 2. Tentative results of both the reanalyses of existing large scale surveys and a currently implemented scoping review process; 3. The conceptual framework for the development of scales/items for future research in the field.

Preliminary results of reanalyses and literature reviews confirm the assumption that the topic is under-researched in higher education research, particularly with regard to the analytical depth of existing results. The proposed contribution will use this suggestion in order to discuss, what the research gaps are (e.g., over-emphasis on the macro-level of university governance at the expense of individual health related student traits, and - vice versa - a lack of sensitivity in public health studies for the specific traits of the sub-group of university students?). The discussion will involve participants in the question, how an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of student mental well-being that involves both higher education research and public health could improve the body of knowledge in this area, thus contributing to a better understanding and a better approach to management in this area.

As the ultimate goal of the project is the elaboration of a validated scale of student mental well-being, the proposed contribution is furthermore going to discuss the methodological framework for item development and statistical validation. The respective analytical strategy (confirmatory factor analyses, linear structural equation models) will be outlined and presented against the examples of the reanalyses of already existing data-sets. All preliminary results confirm the project's basic assumption that a research gap regarding the interplay between different levels of analysis (individual, institutional) hold true and require further elaboration and more fine-grained instruments for empirical analysis.

Keywords:

Student well-being, mental health, higher education research, public health, validation study, individual and institutional determinants.