22 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 23 22 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 MENTAL HEALTH 2.1 Introduction 23 2.2 Recommendation 7 24 2.3 Case study: LSBU 25 2.4 Case study: Student Minds 26 Over the past decade, the HE sector has become increasingly aware of, and concerned about, students’ mental health. Evidence suggests that a large proportion of students are experiencing poor mental health, 3 with particularly high rates of anxiety and loneliness reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, 4 in addition to symptoms of depression and issues with food and body image. 5 The impact of poor mental health at university is clear: students experiencing mental illness are more likely to drop out or underperform, and less likely to secure higher-level employment or postgraduate study. 6 Although the sector’s approach to supporting mental health has developed substantially, there has been limited progress in understanding the role of inequalities in shaping mental health and support, including the relationship between race and mental health within HE. Some research, including that carried out by Student Minds, has found that Black students report lower rates of mental distress than Asian and White students, 7 whilst also reporting disproportionately high rates of loneliness. 8 Stoll et al. identified several key themes shaping the mental health of Black students in the UK: 9 academic pressure; learning environments; Black gendered experiences; culture shock; alienation and isolation; racism; and support. The study highlighted that “for Black university students, their mental health... may be deeply rooted in institutional factors or dimensions, largely racism, which negatively affects most aspects of their higher education experiences.” This is echoed by the Living Black at University research, which found that 75% of Black students surveyed had experienced a negative impact to their mental health because of racism. 10 Good student mental health requires a whole-university approach, and that includes understanding and dismantling barriers created and sustained by inequalities. This chapter highlights some of the good work happening across the sector that is specific to mental health, but it is important to remember that the work highlighted in other chapters will also have positive wellbeing impacts too. As a sector, we must strive to not only respond to mental illness effectively, but also to proactively create mentally healthy environments for all students. 3 Student Minds, February 2023: new research findings on student mental health , February 2023 4 Office for National Statistics (ONS), Coronavirus and higher education students , March 2022 5 ONS, Coronavirus and first year higher education students, England: 4 October to 11 October 2021 , October 2021 6 Gareth Hughes and Leigh Spanner, University Mental Health Charter , 2019 7 Cibyl, Student Mental Health Study 2022 , October 2022 8 HEPI, Student Academic Experience Study , 2022 9 Nkasi Stoll, Yannick Yalipende, Nicola C Byrom, Stephani L Hatch, Heidi Lempp, Mental health and mental well-being of Black students at UK universities: a review and thematic synthesis , 2022 10 Unite Students, Living Black at University , February 2022 2.1 INTRODUCTION Nicola Frampton Insight Manager, Student Minds