Journal article 55 views
A longitudinal quasi-experimental study of a pedagogical approach to supporting undergraduate well-being and mental health: digital interdisciplinary accredited elective mental health literacy university course
Anne Duffy 
,
Nathan King ,
Daniel Rivera,
Kurtis Pankow ,
Simone Cunningham,
Elizabeth Tetzlaff,
Kristen Kyone,
Emily Dephoure,
Adeleine Lyon,
Lucy Robinson ,
Edward Watkins,
Charles Keown-Stoneman
,
Nathan King ,
Daniel Rivera,
Kurtis Pankow ,
Simone Cunningham,
Elizabeth Tetzlaff,
Kristen Kyone,
Emily Dephoure,
Adeleine Lyon,
Lucy Robinson ,
Edward Watkins,
Charles Keown-Stoneman
BJPsych Open, Volume: 12
Swansea University Author:
Kurtis Pankow
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DOI (Published version): 10.1192/bjo.2025.10960
Abstract
BackgroundEntry to higher education coincides with a period of accelerated psychosocial and brain development. Student need for acceptable and accessible well-being and mental health support is straining university resources.AimsTo evaluate the acceptability and impact of a digital mental health lit...
| Published in: | BJPsych Open |
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| ISSN: | 2056-4724 |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2026
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71833 |
| Abstract: |
BackgroundEntry to higher education coincides with a period of accelerated psychosocial and brain development. Student need for acceptable and accessible well-being and mental health support is straining university resources.AimsTo evaluate the acceptability and impact of a digital mental health literacy course tailored for undergraduates and delivered as an accredited interdisciplinary elective.MethodAnalyses included pre–post course survey data from enrolled students and longitudinal U-Flourish Well-Being Survey data from a comparison sample of non-course takers over the same period (2021–2024). Linear mixed-effects models examined associations between course participation and 12-week changes in mental health literacy, psychosocial risk factors, well-being and common mental health concerns.ResultsPre–post course survey data (N = 2884) supported high acceptability, improvements in resilience (+0.06; 95% CI 0.03–0.08, p < 0.001) and self-compassion (+0.65; 95% CI 0.46–0.84, p < 0.001), and a reduction in brooding (−0.31; 95% CI −0.44 to−0.18, p < 0.001). Taking the course was associated with a reduction in anxiety (β = −0.41; 95% CI −0.55 to −0.27, p < 0.001) and cannabis use (proportional odds ratio 0.82; 95% CI 0.75–0.90, p < 0.001), improvement in sleep quality (β = 0.79; 95% CI 0.61–0.97, p < 0.001) and evidence of a protective effect on well-being (β = 0.24; 95% CI 0.11–0.36, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (β = −0.37; 95% CI −0.52 to −0.21, p < 0.001), compared with non-course takers. Effects differed by gender, with women benefitting most, but were comparable across minoritised student subgroups.ConclusionsMental health literacy delivered as an accredited undergraduate interdisciplinary course is highly acceptable and associated with improvement in psychological coping and positive effects on student mental health and well-being. Future research should focus on more diverse student samples, underlying mechanisms and sustained effects. |
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| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant number: TID 184571)
Mach Gaensslen Foundation
Rossy Family Foundation |