What is the mental health crisis?

The mental health crisis refers to the rising number of people, especially young students, who experience issues such as anxiety, depression and burnout.

Fuelled by more than just the phone, modern stressors such as social isolation, economic pressure and mental health needs have seemingly increased while services remain limited.

Although some suggest a decline in student mental health, let’s take a closer look at what UTM students are actually reporting.

Mood

Question from the survey: How bad / good do you feel right now?

What does the graph show?

We found diversity in responses, with the majority of students reporting average to higher levels of positive emotions.

Stress

Question from the survey: How relaxed / stressed do you feel right now?

What does the graph show?

We found diversity in responses, with the majority of students reporting average to higher levels of stress.

Life Satisfaction

Question from the survey: How would your rate how life is going overall right now?

What does the graph show?

We found diversity in the responses, with the majority of students reporting moderate levels of satisfaction with their lives.

Arousal

Question from the survey: How tired / awake do you feel right now?

What does the graph show?

We found great variability in the responses, with most students reporting higher levels of arousal.

Belonging

Questions from the survey:

I have a group, community or social circle at my institution where I feel I belong
I feel safe and free to speak my mind when I am on campus
My institution provides a supportive learning environment where my academic achievement can reach its full potential

What does the graph show?

Using a six-point scale, where 1 indicated the lowest and 6 indicated the highest level of belonging, our results suggest that most students reported a strong sense of belonging.

Meaning and Relationships

Questions from the survey:

I lead a purposeful and meaningful life
I am capable of daily activities that are important and interesting to me
I am optimistic about my future
I have close relationships that provide me with a sense of emotional security and meaning

What does the graph show?

Using a six-point scale, where 1 indicated the lowest and 6 indicated the highest level of meaning and relationships, our findings suggest that most students reported moderate to high levels of meaning and relationships.

PHQ-4 Scores

Question from the survey: Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?

Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge
Not being able to stop or control worrying
Feeling down, depressed or hopeless
Little interest or pleasure in doing things

What does the graph show?

The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) is a widely used screening tool for identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Scores of 0-2 typically indicate minimal symptoms, while a score of 3 or higher suggests the presence of psychological distress.

The responses indicate that while most students fall within the normal range, a notable portion are experiencing elevated levels of psychological distress, particularly related to anxiety. This suggests that mental health challenges remain prevalent within the UTM student community, highlighting the need for continued support and accessible resources.

Well-being Summary

Eudaimonic well-being: Meaning and belonging

Symptoms: Scores on PHQ

Hedonic well-being: positive emotions over negative emotions

What does the graph show?

Most student appear to report a moderate level of well-being. However, there is still variation, highlighting that each student's journey is different.

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