Universities need to do more on mental health
THE number of disabled students in Scottish universities has been increasing steadily. Between 2011/12 and 2016/17 it grew from 19,320 to 27,565. Over the same period, the proportion of Scottish full-time first-degree entrants with a disability increased from 8.5 to 12.3 per cent. But is this good news or bad news? The increase is good news because it suggests universities have become more open to disabled students and more willing to accommodate their needs. It also suggests students are less reluctant to declare they are disabled. Both are very positive developments.
The bad news is the proportion of disabled students is still lower than among young people generally, although the extent of their underrepresentation is disputed. That disabled people are still likely to be underrepresented at university despite the increase in numbers exposes just how great a disadvantage disabled people experienced in terms of access to university in the past, more than justifying the focus of both the Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee and NUS
Scotland on this issue.
But the future challenge may be as much about the significant shifts taking place in different types of disability. The number of students declaring a physical disability or a sensory disability on entry, already fewer than one in 100 of full-time first degree students, has increased very little. The big increases in numbers have been in two groups: first, students with learning difficulties, which is hardly a surprise given the number of pupils with learning difficulties in schools and second, students with mental health conditions, a group which has grown faster than any other and tripled over this short period.
It is still an exaggeration to talk of a mental health crisis in higher education, despite a small number of distressing and well-publicised
Levels of stress among students seem to be increasing, putting mental health at risk
student suicides. But it is not an exaggeration to say that levels of stress among students generally seem to be increasing, putting their mental health at risk. Given that most students as young adults enjoy good physical health, this is the number one health challenge facing universities.
A lot has been written about the reasons for these increasing stress levels among students. They have been blamed – unfairly – on the so-called “snowflake generation” which finds it difficult to cope with any adversity. More plausibly, worries about future prospects in an uncertain graduate jobs market have been blamed. Other suggested culprits are the damaging effects of social media, despair about the future of the planet, declining social solidarity in the face of “personalised” individualism, even toxic Brexit politics.
Whatever the reasons, universities need to get ahead of the curve on mental health. Greater awareness is essential, through campaigns like that organised by NUS Scotland and the mental health first aid training organised for staff by institutions. But early, and easy, access to support and comprehensive services is equally essential. Also, institutions need to address the wider academic reasons for lower retention rates for several disability groups, particularly among students with mental health conditions.
Finally disability needs to be seen in the broader context of multiple barriers to fair access. The most important remains socio-economic disadvantage – being born poor or, to be blunt, social class. But there is a complex pattern of discrimination arising from gender, age, ethnic and cultural identity, geography –grgra and, of course, disability. These different forms of discrimination and disadvantage are often mutually reinforcing, which is why the big picture is so important.
Agenda is a column for outside contributors.
Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk