C-Hub Spotlight, Issue 3, March 2023

Featured Topic: Mental Health and Wellbeing

A high-functioning organization depends on the mental health and well-being of all its members. Members of our university community should be encouraged to prioritize their own well-being and support the well-being of our students and colleagues. The cumulative effects of stress, or specific acute incidents can impact individuals physically and mentally. Microaggressions, bullying and harassment, and incidents of bias also have long-term detrimental effects. Creating inclusive climates for learning, research, and work can lay the foundation for promoting well-being. It is essential for preventing the stigmatization of our neurodiverse members of the community and fostering situations to support their needs. An inclusive environment "embraces a view of the individual and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrich the lives and learning of others" (Hockings, 2010).

What’s the evidence?

The occurrence of mental health problems each year can be as high as 1 in every 5 adults. Given this prevalence, it is possible you may experience mental health challenges during your time at OIST or you may interact with students or colleagues whose wellbeing is impaired. Additionally, in the teaching realm, there is a strong correlation between the psychological well-being of teachers and the mental health of their students. Low levels of well-being decrease job satisfaction and performance and are known to lead to negative educational outcomes for students, such as poor performance on assessments and decreases in retention rates. Interventions, such as evidence-based programs focused on self-care activities or awareness-raising of issues affecting well-being, result in more utilizable knowledge and positive mindsets conducive to offering a hand to those in need and overcoming stigmatization.

It is imperative for universities to support and promote individuals’ acquisition of the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure the well-being of themselves and their peers or colleagues. Systematic efforts to promote wellness in diverse sociocultural contexts such as OIST lead to greater harmony and connectivity between individuals, with concurrent increases in self-efficacy, agency, self-reflection, and adaptive coping. For an excellent example of what OIST is doing, please see the Ganjuu Wellbeing Service webpages here.

Support and interventions to improve well-being often aim for the following outcomes:

• psychoeducation regarding mental health and wellbeing
• reduction or elimination of stigma for those with differences
• development and maintenance of positive mental health for community members, including enhanced self-care and self-regulation
• increased help-seeking behaviors and efficacies

What can YOU do?

Here are four actions you can take:

• take care of your own wellbeing (e.g., prioritize sleep, connect with others, get enough exercise)
• increase your awareness of when issues compromising wellbeing may be high in your unit or section and in the wider OIST community
• highlight times that may compromise wellbeing by voicing them to your students or colleagues in order to raise awareness
• demonstrate acceptance and help the community more easily accept and embrace well-being-related differences
• listen reflectively to those around you

Another highly effective intervention is psychological first aid, a very accessible skillset that can easily be learned and applied in times of stress. It’s evidence-based and widely promoted. Although often recommended for first responders on disaster scenes, this form of applied knowledge is directly applicable in educational settings as well. The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health has also created a Coursera course on the topic. Click here for more information.