Abstract
Students' mental well-being plays an important role in academic achievement in higher educational institutions. A good mental state enables us to fully enjoy and appreciate our environment and the people around us. We can resist stress better and tackle daily life challenges with a positive frame of mind. Good mental health also allows one to be productive and to use one's mental abilities to the full. However, being a student brings about a number of events that can lead to stress, such as living away from home, giving up a good job to be a student, and organising your finances, deadlines and exams, to name just a few. The content of this chapter can be used by divison of student support affairs in higher education institutions worldwide to develop targeted interventions and strategies for alleviating the risk factors of concern to the mental health of students in higher education institutions.
TopBackground
There is an urgent need to contextualise the concept of mental health, as it remains one of the fundamental standards in human evolution. Despite this, the concept mental health means to the entire aspects of human evolution is an exclusive notion prime to it (Wren-Lewis & Alexandrova, 2021). Mental health is a multidimensional concept that refers to both physical and psychological health because both the body and the mind contribute to illness and health (Acutt & Hattingh, 2016). Therefore, a narrow definition of mental health is that mental health refers to an absence of cognitive illness (Wren-Lewis & Alexandrova, 2021). In addition, an important mental health definition refers to the state of extensive good health in social and individual daily living situations (Wren-Lewis & Alexandrova, 2021). Additionally, mental health can be described as an individual’s state of well-being. Such an individual has insight into their own abilities and limitations and can cope with daily stress in life, can work productively and has the ability to contribute fruitfully to the well-being of fellow workers, family and community (Acutt & Hattingh, 2016).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Student: One who is enrolled or attends classes at a school, college or university.
Higher Education Institutions: A higher education institution encompasses various types of education delivered in postsecondary institutions of learning and usually awarding, at the end of a course of study, a named degree, diploma, or certificate of higher studies. Higher education institutions include universities and colleges and various professional schools that prepare students for law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. Higher education institutions also include teacher-training schools, junior colleges, and institutes of technology ( Teague, 2023 ).
Mental Health: Mental health is a state of complete well-being that enables the fulfilment of one’s full potential in occupational, social and relational functioning ( Kumar, 2022 ).
Achievement: The act of successfully completing a task, reaching a goal, or attaining a specific result, often through effort, skill or determination ( Higher Education , 2023).
Risk Factors: Refers to attributes, characteristics or exposures that increase an individual's likelihood of academic failure or failure to complete high school.