Exploring the Well-being and Mental Health of College Learners

EXPLORING THE WELL-BEING AND MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS’ IN COLLEGE A photovoice research project with Humber College learners, Estefania Toledo, Dr. Katherine Borak, and Dr. Vanita Varma

Photo by: Co-researcher Tami

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 5

Humber College

6

Learner Mental Health

8

Study Design

9

Research Team

9

Recruitment

10

Data Collection

11

Methodology

12

Theme: Finding Balance

24

Theme: Cultivating Joy and Resilience

34

Theme: Impacts of Mental Health on Academics

40

Theme: Systemic and Structural Barriers

48

Conclusion

49

References

HUMBER COLLEGE Humber College is located within the traditional and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Known as Adoobiigok, the “Place of the Alders” in Michi Saagiig language, the region is uniquely situated along Humber River watershed, which historically provided an integral connection for Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples between the Ontario Lakeshore and the Lake Simcoe/Georgian Bay regions. Now home to people of numerous nations, Adoobiigok continues to provide a vital source of interconnection for all.

Humber College has 86,000+ learners across 200+ full-time programs in six academic faculties. Additional information can be found at humber.ca/about-humber and Humber at Glance 2022-2023.

Learner Mental Health In Canada, 1 in 4 learners report experiencing negative mental health in their studies and 1 in 4 report their mental health as poor (Abacus Report, 2022). They also identified long wait times, lack of information on how to access services and perceived low quality of care as the top barriers for accessing campus mental health support (Abacus Report, 2022; Stewart et al., 2014).

Researchers have also pointed to the eurocentricity of the curriculum and the long-standing colonial practices in the education system (Cote-Meek & Moeke-Pickering, 2020; Dei, 2016; hampton, 2020) which contribute to a diminishing sense of belonging and negatively impact student well-being and outcomes for students from equity-deserving communities (McBeath et al., 2018; Sallee & Cox, 2019; Strayhorn, 2018).

A recent review that studied postsecondary stress and mental wellbeing in learners identified that areas of stress went beyond the usual expected areas (e.g., academics) (Linden & Stuart, 2022). Socioenvironmental stressors within the campus setting, interpersonal stressors, and concern for the future following graduation were additional stressors that learners identified.

Specifically at Humber College, 60% of learners report feeling the college cares about their health and well-being and 59% know where to go for counselling or advising when they need it (Humber College, 2022).

Academic stressors such as coursework, difficulty of course content, test anxiety, fear of failure, and lack of motivation combined with personal challenges and systemic barriers impact how students navigate academic environments. Given the complexity and rise in learner mental health challenges, further exacerbated by the double-pandemic, there is an imminent need to understand their experiences of well-being and mental health.

Study Design To approach this investigation, we employed the theory of radical care (Hobart & Kneese, 2020) to frame care as critical survival and understand the strategies that students employ to move from survival to thriving in college. We also used radical healing to identify strategies that address the root causes of identity-based wounds by building on the strengths of individuals and communities while also engaging in practices that promote resilience and wellbeing (French et al., 2020).

This arts-based qualitative research study explored the following questions: 1. How does student mental health and well-being impact their academics and co-curricular activities?

2. How do students describe the structural and systemic influences on their mental health and wellbeing in college?

3. How do students express agency and sense of purpose to protect their mental health in college?

Research Team The research team consisted of a student Research Assistant and members of the Child and Youth Care programs, the Centre of Innovation for Health & Wellness and Student Wellness and Equitable Learning. The research study was funded through SEED grant from Humber's Office of Research and Innovation.

The SEED funding provides an opportunity to conduct a small pilot study to test out ideas prior to a larger study aimed at impacting the learning process of students. For the study, the Child and Youth Care programs was selected as the site for the research.

Recruitment The study applied purposeful sampling and criterion-based selection to recruit co-researchers from the Child and Youth Care programs at Humber College (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). Recruitment was conducted through CYC courses, social media accounts managed by department, and university-wide newsletter. 63 students expressed interest, 11 were ineligible (e.g., not studying in CYC), 30 participated in training, and 9 collected photos and participated in the focus groups.

Data Collection We intentionally use co-researchers when referring to learners who participated in the study as a participatory practice and acknowledgement of their role in the study.

To collect data, co-researchers: participated in a photovoice training session, were asked to collect up to 10 photos and write a journal reflection, attend a focus group, and provide feedback on the thematic analysis.

Co-researchers were given guiding prompts for taking photos and journaling (e.g., How does the photo relate to my mental health and wellbeing? How does this image express my agency, sense of purpose or happiness as a student?). Instructions also included taking photos that reflected the dimensions of well-being (e.g., emotional, physical, social, spiritual, etc.). Co-researchers also received weekly check-in emails from the Research Assistant and were provided with $80 gift cards for participating in the study.

Methodology We used photovoice methodology and participatory action research methods (Sutton-Brown, 2014) to explore the lived experiences of Humber college students and their well-being and mental health during the Fall 2022 and Winter 2023 semesters.

Photovoice methodology empowers participants as participants and researchers (Jehangir et al., 2022), to use their own voice to narrate their experiences, and promote social change for themselves and their communities (Foster-Fishman 2005; Wang and Burris 1997). Becker et al.

(2014) also posit that photovoice is a community-based method that emphasizes the voices of those with lived experiences of a phenomena.

True engagement of Humber learners who are thriving in their well-being is valuable for the design and implementation of student support services, as well as teaching and learning across the institution.

We conducted a thematic analysis (Saldaña, 2021) for the data collected in the focus groups and journal entries.

Photo by: Co-researcher Quinn

FINDING BALANCE

Co-researchers described their individual intention to find balance as a means of supporting their mental health. They reflected on their multiple roles and responsibilities, and understanding of the importance of taking care of their whole selves. Balance was found while being immersed in nature, by seeking solace in spirituality, and during engaged activities that brought contentment to their daily lives.

FINDING BALANCE Co-researcher: Quinn I first learned of the balanced stones down by the Lake during a class outing. Many aspects of the experience were uplifting for my mood, and I have frequently visited the area since. The balanced stones set in motion an internal dialogue with myself about how “I would definitely not have the patience” to balance a stone structure. When I challenged those thoughts, I was met with alternative ones that said, “I could, but I don’t have the time.” Thoughts about everything I had to get done that day, that week and before the end of the semester flooded my head like the water flooding the shoreline. I was skeptical about how I would get everything done, doubtful even. My well-being was not my primary concern; it never is around finals. I do believe it can be, though.

In conversations with my peers, I often hear them reflect feelings of distress, despair and discouragement, particularly as the end of each semester approaches. I’ve had my fair share of challenges with my mental health, and I am lucky that I have supports in place. I don’t have children, I don’t work a full-time job during the school year, and it takes no more than 15 minutes for me to get to class. Still, I struggle to maintain a level of well-being that I am content with. I know many of my peers live a different reality, and I cannot imagine how they must feel.

During finals, when we have presentations, students often are busy doing their own projects, experiencing their own stressors and being distracted, which lessens class engagement in presentations and workshops. I have noticed that for courses with assignments with multiplepart submission formats and presentations dispersed across the semester, at least, I am less overwhelmed, more engaged, and learn more. Workshops become more impactful learning experiences for me as a presenter and participant under these conditions.

Like balance was needed to keep the rock structure intact, balance is needed for us as humans to maintain our well-being. Many factors went into each rock’s ability to create and maintain balance; the same is true for humans. For me, balance has come with changes I have made to routines, expectations I hold myself to, skill building and self-reflection.

Any opportunity for the BCYC program to create balance at the structural level to support student well-being should be considered. One way I have seen professors integrate balance into the courses at a structural level is how assignments were created and organized. Being given learning outcomes and a rubric, as well as being given creative freedom and trusted to design our project is something I love. It deepens my understanding, gets me excited and allows me to harness my strengths and interests. It allows me to design enjoyable projects, and I often find myself working on them as a means of self-care. Balance is created at the structural level because students have the freedom to design the project to be accomplishable based on their individual context. Balance is created at the individual level because the project becomes something I work on to have fun, destress and improve my wellbeing. In my experience, it also gets students connecting about their passions and ideas. I would love for every course to have this format.

FINDING BALANCE Co-researcher: Lulu I’m a really big lover for all things nature and organic produce. Here is an image of a mint leaves growing in-progress, grown my moi! I love to grow my own vegetables or fruits when I get the chance, I wont identify myself as a green thumb though. Farming and gardening can be physically and mentally demanding work. Although farming activities can increase the production of dopamine, which increases happiness and reduces undesirable emotions.

Which is exactly how I feel every time I farm and grow vegetables. Actually, it was my first time that I grew mint leaves and was so surprised/proud by the result. Although it can be challenging to farm when the time isn't convenient and having to travel a long way to just grow some vegetables! I farm and plant things at my Aunt's ranch in southern Ontario, so I get like 5 chances in a year to go there.

FINDING BALANCE Co-researcher: Emma This is a photo of my planner and laptop right before I plan my week. I have a lot to balance between work, school and extra-curriculars. It is important for me to participate though volunteering at Humber and I have high expectations for myself to achieve high marks in my classes. It is easy to feel overwhelmed when lots of things are happening simultaneously in the same week, which is why I try my best to plan ahead and manage my time appropriately.

My background for my laptop is a mood board that I made which helps remind me to take care of my physical and mental health while balancing school and work. The weeks fly by quickly as the semester progresses and last semester, I neglected my physical health which contributed to some bad mental health days as well. I feel like I have a clear mind to study when I prioritize taking long walks outside or some form of physical activity, so I am trying to plan that into my weeks to ensure it happens. Planning is essential for me to ensure all assignments are submitted on time and that I attend all meetings for my extra-curriculars.

This helps me to not feel terribly overwhelmed and I can remain focused on my tasks for each day.

FINDING BALANCE Co-researcher: Veronica I have quite a few succulents in my room on my window ledge, that I tend to through all four seasons. Although it’s more common to garden in the warmer seasons, such as in the spring and summer, I find that with proper care and nourishment, succulents can last all year round.

Gardening helps release any tension I’m facing and allows me to take care of a living organism without needing to keep an eye on it 24/7. Research also shows that gardening reduces a significant amount of stress, anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness as well as reducing blood pressure when an individual is under a lot of stress. Due to these plants being succulents, I only need to water them once every two weeks, which is very manageable with my busy schedule and allows me 15 to 20 minutes of nurturing time in which I can focus my thoughts into this one task rather than the stressors, that life or school often bring to me.

FINDING BALANCE Co-researcher: Li When I’m planning my schedule for the day, week, or month, I make sure to include time to spend with friends and to take care of myself alongside deadlines for coursework. Self care is so important, especially in the field I am studying and working in. To avoid feeling burnt out, I always try to make some time in my week, if not my day, to do at least one thing I enjoy. This helps me keep my mental health up so I have a clear head and a positive attitude when it’s time to do my work. Taking time out of my busy schedule for myself is also beneficial for my physical health as well. A walk or some exercise can make as much of a difference as a movie night or a sweet treat. When I am in a better headspace, I can complete school ahead of time and I feel more confident in the work that I do. I am really grateful to have a reliable support system of friends, professors, and others who care about my well-being and my success in college and otherwise. I use multiple calendars to help me schedule my days from digital versions to wall calendars. I can better keep track of my class schedule, co-curricular meetings or events, personal outings, and time for rest or self care.

Photo by: Co-researcher Veronica

CULTIVATING JOY AND RESILIENCE

Co-researchers cultivated joy through their interactions with family and friends, spending time with their pets, engaging in physical activities, and intentionally being in nature and connecting with the Land and Water. These activities were central to enhancing their wellbeing and cultivating their resilience.

CULTIVATING JOY AND RESILIENCE Co-researcher: Veronica This is my best friends fur baby, Celia! She is one of the many fur babies I see and spend time with during my free time. In this photo Celia and I were having a photoshoot but we normally take walks and like to go to the dog park with her owner. I find that taking pets out on walks is beneficial to one’s mental health. You get to go outside, receiving vitamin D from the sun, your body is also being used for exercise, and you get to walk along a cute animal! The outdoors and the affection of an animal can boost an individual’s dopamine, which leads to a healthier well-being.

CULTIVATING JOY AND RESILIENCE Co-researcher: 20 I’ve been taking the TTC for as long as I can remember. I’ve always relied heavily upon it to get to work and school. It takes me 1 hour and a half to get to the Humber lakeshore campus from my house, so I try to use the time wisely since it’s a long commute. Usually when I’m on the subway or taking the bus I am on my phone scrolling on social media. But when I am on the green line, I do not get any cell service, so it forces me to sit in my thoughts and not be consumed into my phone. It’s generally about a 40 min subway ride and then 30 min bus ride to get to school. So, during the time I’m on the subway with no cell service I use it as a schoolwork period. I usually put my laptop on my lap and work on assignments that I need to complete without the distraction of my phone. I always keep journal articles, or my school readings saved on my laptop, so I do not need internet access to use them. Whenever I use my time wisely like for example completing my assignments on the subway, it makes me feel relieved and productive. I also find it hard to keep up with my readings for my classes, but it surprises me how much work I can get done on my commute to school. Which I am very grateful for. This commute to school definitely contributes to keeping myself on track with my studies by giving me the time to do my readings and assignments. This contribute to my mental health because I like to keep my school work and home life kind of separate. When I get home from school I do not like working on school work, I mostly want to relax and do my chores at home. Therefore, the commute home gives me another opportunity to get my academics straight, so I can have my peace when I get home.

CULTIVATING JOY AND RESILIENCE Co-researcher: Tami As I stood in the middle of this beautiful field of sunflowers this summer, I was reminded of how different and gorgeous each one of these flowers is. Though each of these flowers grows within the same timeline. These sunflowers grew at their own pace, but all collectively contributed to the beauty of this picture. I try to remind myself of this time when I stood in the field and when I compared myself to my younger peers. I remind myself that even though I am a mature student working on my degree, I still matter and add to the beauty of the Child and Youth Care field. I remind myself that I have stronger roots; I may be an older flower, planted a long time ago and seasoned more than my peers. Still, it doesn’t mean that I am worth anything less.

CULTIVATING JOY AND RESILIENCE Co-researcher: Li When there’s no way around it all, I stay home and take a mental health day to rest. To take care of myself and my well-being. It has been hard for me to not feel bad about taking mental health days but I’ve been better about it recently. It’s all about understanding that I can be my best self when I take time to take care of myself and my mental health. Otherwise, I make it worse when I don’t take time off and I force myself to push through. When I take a day to rest, I feel so much better. I make sure to get plenty of rest and not to skip any meals. I also take time to clear my head by either taking a walk, meditating or simply taking time to work through my thoughts. Self care looks different for everyone but I love to have a mini spa day or to have my favourite foods and watch a movie. It’s easy to forget how much of a difference a simple act of kindness and caring towards ourselves can make. Practicing gratitude and self compassion are also part of my routine, as well as writing down an affirmation for myself everyday. More often than not, the message I want to send myself is “don’t quit” and keep going. No matter how many breaks I take in between, if I never quit, I’ll get to where I want to be eventually.

Photo by: Co-researcher Emma

IMPACTS OF MENTAL HEALTH ON ACADEMICS

Feeling overwhelmed and unable to access help and resources had a critical impact on coresearchers' academic experiences.

Competing priorities and expectations from their courses challenged their engagement and functioning, and as a result, their ability to take care of their mental health.

IMPACTS OF MENTAL HEALTH ON ACADEMICS Co-researcher: Emma This photo is a picture of my bedroom floor during finals week in December. There are many things that I had just thrown into a pile on the ground to deal with later because I felt too stressed with my school work and job to clean it up. The floor looked like this and worse for about two weeks before I finally cleaned everything up and organized my life and room. There are clothes, books, and boxes to be recycled all on the floor. This contributed to me feeling stressed but I didn’t know where to start with cleaning it up because it felt too overwhelming at the time.

When I let my room get in this messy state, it is usually a representation of how messy my mind feels and how poor my mental health is. During finals week there were many important essays and projects due and also at my work it was very busy which was adding to my stress.

Instead of each day, just cleaning up for 15mins to make sure my room didn’t turn into a disaster zone, I just kept adding to the piles of junk and clothes on my floor. My mental health at this point in time wasn’t the best especially because the holidays were coming up and that is always a difficult time for me. When I feel overwhelmed in my life, I tend to neglect things such as cleaning my room and it kind of turns into a cyclic pattern of feeling stressed, which leads to a messy room which adds to the stress and the process just repeats itself. It is definitely something that I am trying to work on moving forward in an attempt to improve my mental health during busy and stressful times.

IMPACTS OF MENTAL HEALTH ON ACADEMICS Co-researcher: Li It is hard to reach out for or to get help when you keep getting the same generic response. I grew up never knowing that I could ask for an extension or extra help if I needed it. The first time I got an extension in 12th grade, I cried. I didn’t want to ask for it so instead my teacher offered me one, she saw I needed support. My anxiety and fear of others not understanding or judging me has kept me from asking for help or for extra time. Occasionally, I contemplate the ways in which our systems and institutions could account for situations like this and people like me. Maybe by having more holistic support built into the way they function. Ways to ease the anxiety or to modify certain things so that they aren’t causing as much anxiety to begin with. When I need support for my mental health, I often get the same response which is to try counselling at Humber. This discourages me from reaching out again and I think that there isn’t anything that can be done to help me. Discouragement is a strong feeling, it leaves you without the confidence or motivation to try that thing again. It can leave you feeling like you aren’t enough and perhaps you are alone in what you are going through. When I feel discouraged it also leads to feeling sad and overwhelmed. I feel like a drooping flower, wanting to sink back to its roots. Not getting the sunlight and water it needs to grow and blossom.

Photo by: Co-researcher 30

SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS

Co-researchers expressed the challenges with returning to in-person studies, including the pressures of commuting, making connections between the curricula and field experiences, and managing difficult class schedules. Co-researchers experienced significant challenges from institutional policies that created unwelcoming learning environments and campus climate, specifically for learners from historically marginalized identities.

SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS CR 30 I have an 8am class, and I honestly think 8am should be banned, but I mean, the petition hasn't been signed yet. But the thing is that after we have a break, like maybe like around 9am, 9:30-ish, and usually by then I don't have time to make breakfast before I even get to school, because of commuting. And then I'm very hungry by that time I come from H building, walk outside in the cold, get to this cafeteria, and I think at that time I was fasting, which is part of my Christian religion, and I had to only eat certain foods. And the Booster Juice didn’t open until 11 which was the only thing that I could eat and maybe a salad. It was very difficult during those 21 days to find foods on campus that were a part of the fruits, veggie, vegan diet and were also open at certain hours.

I also have a class after 4pm, and by 5pm, before we even get a break, everything is closed around L building. Tim Hortons is closed, and everything in L building is close. Just the vending machines, which doesn't have anything healthy in there. So yeah, it was a little frustrating and difficult. And then I was just very, very hungry those weeks, I didn't realize until I actually had to go on that fast and eat the healthy foods that food options are very limited.

It's extremely limited.

And when I did, I actually waited until 11am only to be late 20 minutes for my next class.

Because that day in particular, I have three classes and a break in between, so I’m there from 8am to practically almost 7pm. I had a very long day that day. I was incredibly stressed. I hate being late for class, but usually I’m late because the lines are way too long, the high school students like to come over to join us, or the food stalls are just not open a particular time. I definitely feel like the cafeteria needs more staff in general, especially in AB building. My break could be 30 minutes, and sometimes it will take the entire 30 minutes to purchase something to eat. Which again, is very stressful when you just want to be able to just sit and eat for a while and just have a relaxing moment. Instead, you're in line all day.

Food is a big part of my mental health. When I'm definitely well fed, I feel better. I'm not focusing on being hungry or feel irritated that I'm late for class.

Healthy food is very expensive. Very expensive. I don't think you should be paying $7 for 10 pieces of fruit or $15 for a very small salad. Healthy foods are extremely, extremely expensive.

Implementing a food bank would be great. IGNITE was trying to do a free soup bar, and the fridge is always empty.

I have never seen it full yet in the past two semesters. They are trying to give up free soups, and it’s always empty. You can tell there is a need but it's not much supply to meet the needs.

SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS CR 17 This is a bus stop image where I stand here for about 20-30 mins for a bus to take me to campus. This was the one day I was the only person there waiting for a bus. I remember being pretty surprised and sense of relief due to no one being there and to finally get to go first to find a comfortable seat. I have days where I feel like I don't want to take the bus due to the effort it takes and the long walks, and other days where I like taking the bus because it allows me to sit with my thoughts, listen to podcasts, music. Overall experience gets me to just relax.

Although I don't find it relaxing when I have to go everyday to campus for classes. I find it difficult going to class everyday or some days due to the fact I have to pay a fare every time I get on. Some times I cant afford to take the bus so I have to sacrifice to not go to class that day, thats one of my biggest challenges for taking public transportation. Taking the bus to campus is a sense of purpose to go to class, do work, talk to the professors, get help as a student. Although I feel like and I think a lot of students can relate that every institution should have accommodations for students that don't have cars and have to take publics transportation everyday.

SYSTEMIC AND STRUCTURAL BARRIERS CR 30 The CYC program needs more cultural representation. Mostly, in the materials that we are asked to read, the whether it's articles or textbooks. I feel like there could be just be a bit more cultural representation throughout the program. Also, just in general, we need more cultural diversity around campus, The space where I definitely feel comfortable to exercise agency is in the Black Student Support and Engagement space. They have resources and dedicates space that's for Black identifying students. It’s definitely a place where I'll be able to talk about things and ask question to help me navigate the college.

We also need more diverse representation with staff and faculty. There are professors that are open and practice diversity, so it's not something new in the program. If you suggest an article or a topic, they are definitely open to talking about it which is actually really cool with the CYC program. Humber needs more cultural representation, whether it's with food or with the textbooks, even the library. The library just got more books on topics like “don't touch my hair” and Black experiences. I wish they had a diversity of topics than just people that look like me.They're just rolling out the new books because of its Black Heritage Month and it should definitely be more intentional all year round.

CONCLUSION Creating a Culture of Care and Radical Healing Institutions can begin by recognizing learner agency and acknowledging their well-being needs. Class schedules negatively impacted learners' commute, access to food options, and engagement with co-curricular activities. However, learners found ways to resist the structural and systemic conditions by identifying activities and strategies for their critical survival. These activities included connecting to the Land, practicing self-assurance, and acknowledging their well-being needs. Institutions can foster a culture of care by addressing the needs raised by students such as adjusting class start times to accommodate commute times or offering hybrid teaching options. Most importantly, institutions need to offer emotional and social support to enhance well-being by offering programs and assessing existing policies and procedures to repair harm.

Recommendations for Educators Learning Environments: Institutions should evaluate current assessment and grading practices and adopt practices that are equitable and inclusive. Institutions can adopt flexible deadlines and "grace days" or "mental health days" to create conditions where students can requests extensions without documentation. This creates environments for radical healing and care, that demystifies failure and personal challenges, and where learners are provided with flexibility and care. Additionally, Land-based education and well-being strategies such as meditation, can be integrated in the classroom to advance well-being for learners.

Co-Curricular Programming: Learners identified co-curricular opportunities as a means to support their well-being and offered space for critical survival. Institutions and Student Affairs practitioners should consider creating identity-based programming and building identity-based spaces where students can connect with other learners who share their identities. However, these spaces should be created for liberation of self and communities.

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