Changes in undergraduate students’ psychological well‐being as they progress through university

Abstract

This article investigates the psychological well‐being of students from all faculties across their undergraduate degree from pre‐registration to semester two of year three at one UK university. Data were collected on seven occasions, with 66% of students who began their studies between 2000 and 2002 taking part in the project. Psychological well‐being was assessed using the General Population Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (GP‐CORE). Results show that greater strain is placed on well‐being once students start university compared to pre‐university levels. Levels of strain are generally highest during semester one, with significant reduction in levels of distress from semester one to semester two being observed in both year one and year three. At no time did levels of distress fall to pre‐registration levels. Given these results show university to be a time of heightened distress, there is a need to ensure that students receive the support necessary throughout their studies to enable them to successfully complete their degree course, enabling them to negotiate the transition to university and then ultimately into the workforce.

Keywords:

• university student
• psychological well‐being
• mental health

Acknowledgements

The UNIQoLL project was funded by the University of Leeds (1999–2006). We thank members of the UNIQoLL Steering Group, Departmental Representatives and successive Student Union Executive members for their support. We also thank successive project managers and research assistants/officers for their contribution to the UNIQoLL project. Bridgette M. Bewick and Michael Barkham were also supported by funding from the R&D Levy from the Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust. Declaration of interest: Michael Barkham received funding from the Mental Health Foundation for the development of the CORE‐OM from which the GP‐CORE was derived.