University Student Mental Health:The Impact of Creative Practice

It is widely acknowledged that student mental health in higher education (HE) is at crisis point. Exacerbated by the recent pandemic and due to limiting resources at institutions, students are experiencing severe mental health with a third reporting symptoms in England in 2021 (ONS 2023). Students are at particularly high risk for the onset of mental ill health as undertaking academic endeavours is a major trigger for mental health issues such as leaving home, academic pressure, newfound autonomy, developing new friendships and managing finances (Baik 2017; Macaskill 2013). However, very few studies have examined the impact of creative-based practices aimed to support student wellbeing. This paper reports on an evaluation of a creative practice initiative aimed to support students in HE. The conceptual model demonstrated within this paper, suggests some critical success factors when implementing a creative practice initiative and some likely benefits. Using qualitative data collected from interviews and observations, the findings suggest that creative practices do have a significant benefit on student wellbeing and therefore should be considered in curriculum design to enhance student learning and development.