Browsing by Subject "university students"

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    Interventions to reduce perceived stress among university students in LMICs: a scoping review
    (2023) Mangozho, Tinashe Nigel; Sorsdahl, Katherine; Gamieldien, Fadia
    Stress has been defined as the perception that one's resources to meet a demand for change are not adequate. It is also an emotional response to stressors. Stressors and cumulative adversities have been associated with mental health problems. Research suggests that university students are a vulnerable part of the population with exposure to diverse stressors and a high prevalence of mental health problems, including psychological distress, depression, and anxiety. This may be due to experiencing several stressors and decreased access to protective factors, such as family support. Although studies have explored the effectiveness of interventions to prevent stress related problems among university students, most studies originate from high income settings and primarily focus on studies from these settings. As a result, a synthesis of the current body of evidence regarding interventions to reduce stress in university students focused on low- and middle-income settings, is warranted. Method; This review used the Arksey & O'Malley (2005) scoping review framework that includes six stages: (1) identification of the research question, (2) identification of relevant studies, (3) selection of studies, (4) charting the data, (5) collating, summarising and (6) collaboration. The following databases were used for the identification of relevant studies: Google Scholar, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, ERIC, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus. Abstracts of relevant studies were screened before the final articles were selected for inclusion in the review. Eligible studies were reviewed using the CASP checklist. Reporting of methods follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses – Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Data was collected using post-hoc tool designed for this review by the first author. The data extracted included bibliographic information, country of origin, type of study, study population, methodology, interventions, outcome measurement and key findings relating to the review question. Results This study identified eight studies. Six were randomised control trials and two were quasi experimental studies using a pre-test post-test design. Seven studies were from lower-middle income countries and one from an upper middle-income country investigating the 13 effectiveness of a range of interventions including: Mindfulness Based Interventions (n = 2),Rational Emotive Therapies (n = 3), Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (n = 1), Breathing Therapy and Emotional Freedom Therapies (n = 1), and Critical Thinking Interventions (n = 1). Primary outcome measures focussed on a stressed related variable were all self-report including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) (n = 2); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (n = 4); the Exam Stress Scale (ExamSS) (n = 1); and the ASQ (n = 1). Only one study used a validated tool provided in the study participants' first language. Appraisal for this study was done using the CASP Appraisal tool (see Appendix 6). Four papers were rated as high quality (scoring highly in all three domains on the CASP) and 4 were rated as medium (scoring highly in at least 2 of the three domains of the CASP). The results of the analysis showed significant reductions in stress-related problems which were maintained at follow-up. Although all studies provided significant results for the chosen intervention, they were plagued by several limitations. Conclusion; This scoping review set out to identify interventions to reduce stress in university students in LMIC. The results of this scoping review suggested that there is not enough evidence to make definitive statements on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce perceived stress. The findings highlight the significant limitations of available studies and the need for further research in this area.
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    New Pentecostal churches, politics and the everyday life of university students at the University of Zimbabwe
    (2018) Gukurume, Simbarashe; van Wyk Ilana; Posel, Deborah
    In the past 15 years, there has been a concerted ‘Pentecostalisation’ of university spaces in Africa. Despite enormous growth in Pentecostal Charismatic Church membership and activities on African university campuses, and its attendant implications for academic and everyday life, there is hardly any study that explores this phenomenon. Thus, little is known about the complex entanglements between religion, politics and the dynamics of the everyday within the university campus and how this mediates students’ subjectivities. This thesis examines the lived experiences and everyday lives of university students at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). The thesis is based on the narratives of students drawn through a qualitative methodology and more particularly, through participant observation, semi-structured and in-depth interviews over 15 months. Findings in this study revealed that university students convert and sign-up for new Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCCs) because they were imagined as spaces through which young people could forge supportive economic and social networks. PCCs’ gospel of prosperity and ‘spiritual warfare’ technologies were also deeply attractive to students who were caught in the hopelessness and uncertainty wrought by the country’s protracted socio-economic and political crisis. In this context, PCCs cultivate a sense of hope and optimism. However, although new PCCs reconfigure young people’s orientation to the future, many PCC promises remain elusive. The entrance of PCCs onto this university campus has also lead to institutional conflict as new churches struggle against the entrenched historical privilege of mainline churches- and the political influence of their followers in university management. New PCCs on the UZ campus have also become heavily involved in student and national politics, which further complicates their relationship with the university and the state. This thesis demonstrate the extent to which faith permeates every aspect of university experience for those who subscribe to its Pentecostal forms. I argue in this thesis that these complex linkages between faith and university life are mediated by the wider politics of the country, including linkages between the state and the university.
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    Online content creation: looking at students’ social media practices through a Connected Learning lens
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Brown, Cheryl; Czerniewicz, Laura; Noakes, Travis
    As the boundaries between technology and social media have decreased, the potential for creative production or participatory practices have increased. However, the affordances of online content creation (OCC) are still taken up by a minority of Internet users despite the opportunities offered for engagement and creativity. Whilst previous studies have addressed creative production by university students for specific purposes, there is a research gap concerning OCC in the everyday lives of African university students. This paper describes the stories of three students who are online creators of content, the social media they utilised; their trajectories; their linkages with career interests; the types of online presences they created, maintained or discontinued into their university lives. As the case studies spanned digital practices that were informal and extracurricular yet peer supported as well as interest-driven and academically-oriented, the pedagogical framework of Connected Learning proved an appropriate heuristic. The study shows that being a digital creator gives students a competitive edge in our globally competitive society.
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    South African university students' user experience of mobile applications for anxiety and depression
    (2024) Chipps, Wesley; Spedding, Maxine; Kaminer, Debra
    Background: Globally, university students have been shown to be disproportionately affected by common mental disorders (CMDs). The primary CMDs reported by students have been anxiety and depression. Research on South African students has proven no exception. Moreover, this predicament is worsened by low rates of help-seeking, historically entrenched systemic inequality regarding access to resources, a lack of culturally appropriate interventions, and a population that tends to be overly self-reliant. Objective: With the prevalence of CMDs in mind, as well as the many challenges students face, it was deemed worth exploring current, available alternatives. Given some evidence for the use of mobile mental health (MMH) applications (apps) among university students in high income countries, the current study aimed to investigate South African university students' user experience of MMH apps for depression and anxiety. Methods: South African students in the psychology department of the University of Cape Town were recruited to make use of two MMH apps, Headspace and Woebot, for two weeks total, but one week per app. They then completed online questionnaires related to their experience of using these apps, and semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed by the researcher. Due to a lack of meaningful data from the online questionnaires, only the semi-structured interviews were used for analysis. Braun and Clarke's (2006) method of thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: After analysing the semi-structured individual interviews, themes were defined, described, and discussed. The participants expressed that the apps facilitated insight and self-awareness, and were found to be supportive, encouraging, and convenient. However, they valued different aspects of the two apps, with each offering something that the other did not. The importance of each design was also highlighted as a vital factor in the overall user experience, while affordability was also emphasised for the student population in particular. Conclusion: The two apps were found to be accessible and acceptable for participants in this South African university setting. Additionally, user experience design enhanced their experiences. However, as each app offered different approaches and benefits, the integration of features could be something to work towards. There are also important ethical considerations that need to be factored before recommending them. Further research and development are required in order to address these concerns.
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    The efficacy of personal initiative training for academic and career success as a stress management intervention for university students
    (2025) Samuels, Huyaam; Meyer, Ines
    University students face significant stress due to academic, financial, and personal pressures, particularly in South Africa, where socioeconomic instability and limited mental health resources exacerbate these challenges. While wellness programs exist, they often fail to equip students with proactive coping strategies for long-term stress management. This study explores Personal Initiative (PI) training as a potential intervention, arguing that fostering a self-starting, future-oriented mindset may enhance stress resilience. Grounded in Action Regulation Theory and the Transactional Model of Stress, this study examines whether PI training reduces perceived distress and increases self-efficacy among university students. A quantitative experimental time-series design was used, with N = 60 students initially recruited and N = 25 completing both time points. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group, which received a three-day PI training, or a waitlist control group. They completed the Situational Judgment Test for Personal Initiative (SJT-PI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) before and after training. Data were analysed using Spearman's rho correlations to examine relationships between variables, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests to assess within-group changes, and moderation analysis to determine whether self-efficacy influenced the relationship between PI and perceived distress. Results indicated that PI training led to significant reductions in perceived distress and higher self-efficacy. Additionally, self- efficacy moderated the relationship between PI and stress reduction, with stronger effects observed in students with higher initial self-efficacy. These findings suggest that PI training fosters proactive coping strategies, equipping students with essential skills to navigate academic stressors. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed, followed by outlining theoretical and practical implications for higher education interventions.