{"id":55220,"date":"2020-12-17T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T08:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=55220"},"modified":"2020-12-16T11:35:32","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T19:35:32","slug":"stressed-out-dropping-out-covid-has-taken-its-toll-on-uni-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/stressed-out-dropping-out-covid-has-taken-its-toll-on-uni-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Stressed out, dropping out: COVID has taken its toll on uni students"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s a tough time to be a university student. Amid a global pandemic, overstretched mental health services and sweeping university staff cuts, students have had to attend classes and hand in assignments while juggling work, family and finances. For international students, isolation, cultural differences and extra expenses added to their worries.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, university enrolments have plummeted. While COVID-19 has taken a toll on everyone\u2019s mental health \u2013 Beyond Blue reported a\u00a066% increase in demand<\/a>\u00a0for its services in April compared to 2019 \u2013 it\u2019s a\u00a0massive concern<\/a>\u00a0for many young people. Yet tertiary students have been largely overlooked.<\/p>\n

To counter the looming mental health crisis and improve student retention, federal and state governments must respond to the needs of these students beyond spouting platitudes and\u00a0advising them<\/a>\u00a0to exercise, drink water and think positively.<\/p>\n

Under pressure before the pandemic<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Here are the facts:\u00a0about 60%<\/a>\u00a0of university students are aged between 15 and 24. Suicide is the\u00a0leading cause of death<\/a>\u00a0in this age group.\u00a0One in four<\/a>\u00a0young people experience depression or anxiety in any one year.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0average wait time<\/a>\u00a0for a first therapy session at a Headspace centre \u2013 a government-funded youth mental health program \u2013 is 25.5 days. Many\u00a0don\u2019t reach out<\/a>\u00a0at all because of the stigma surrounding mental health, privacy concerns, lack of time and financial constraints.<\/p>\n

And 2020 made life harder<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Then COVID-19 struck.<\/p>\n

This pandemic has\u00a0increased youth unemployment<\/a>, added to academic stress and made it harder for students to follow self-care routines \u2013 the daily habits that are vital to good mental health and well-being. More students than ever are at risk and the mental health system might not be able to cope.<\/p>\n

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After COVID-19 restrictions took effect, the unemployment rate of students aged 15-24 who study full-time\u00a0increased<\/a>\u00a0by up to 12% in June compared to 2019. Their participation rate \u2013 the proportion employed or actively looking for work \u2013 fell by 21% in May compared to 2019.<\/p>\n

Financial pressures<\/a>\u00a0associated with job losses can increase the risk of mental health problems. Particularly at risk are international students who were excluded from JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments and isolated from their families and support networks. International students may also face challenges seeking assistance due to\u00a0stigma, language and cultural barriers and financial issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Challenges increased at uni too<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Students have also had to adapt to online learning. Many universities still haven\u2019t gone back to in-person classes. Online videos replaced lecture halls, despite students being told pre-COVID that attending in-person lectures was vital, with lower attendance\u00a0linked to poorer results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some universities did adopt measures to help minimise the impact of COVID on student grades. Even so, the sweeping staff cuts at several universities will have impacts on learning outcomes.<\/p>\n

Academic success is harder to achieve than ever and the stakes are high, especially when you might be paying thousands of dollars per course. Bad grades reduce your future employability and repeating courses affects when you graduate.<\/p>\n

Stay active, eat healthily and reach out<\/a>\u00a0when you need help is the traditional mental health advice doled out to first-year students. But in 2020, when the gyms closed and you couldn\u2019t go out with your friends, it wasn\u2019t that simple.<\/p>\n

Most universities do offer some mental health support services. However, these vary between institutions and were already\u00a0overstretched before the pandemic<\/a>. While a\u00a0new framework<\/a>\u00a0released by youth mental health research centre Orygen is a promising start, it is yet to be implemented.<\/p>\n

The support available to students can be overly\u00a0reliant on self-help methods or involve long wait times<\/a>. During COVID, many of these services have gone online, which raises concerns about efficacy and privacy.<\/p>\n

Domestic students are eligible for a\u00a0government-subsidised mental health plan<\/a>, but the public system faces many of the same issues as university services. International students must pay the full cost.<\/p>\n

With the challenges 2020 has thrown at students, it\u2019s no surprise tertiary enrolments fell. Enrolments for 20-to-24-year-olds were down by\u00a066,100 students<\/a>\u00a0from 2019. The loss of fee revenue has already undermined the university sector.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0implications for gender equity<\/a>\u00a0are also serious, as those who dropped out were\u00a0overwhelmingly women<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We can do more to help<\/strong><\/h4>\n

So it is a tough time to be a university student, but does it have to be? Solutions have already been proposed. In June, a\u00a0Productivity Commission inquiry report<\/a>\u00a0called for:<\/p>\n