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Stress and anxiety are on the increase for tertiary students
Stress and anxiety
are on the increase for tertiary students
South African university students continue to face an uphill battle. According to the second annual Insights and Learning Report issued by online crowdfunding platform Feenix, 43% of university students surveyed have pointed out that they need mental health services but can’t access them. This is an increase from 33% in 2020.
Apart from a lack of critical resources, the impact of the pandemic, remote learning, student debt, and a variety of other socioeconomic pressures are all adding to the stress and anxiety levels of students.
Feenix is committed to the success of university students by monitoring, learning, and responding to their needs. The insights from the report assist the organisation in understanding all the challenges that might affect a young person’s ability to achieve upward mobility and financial independence. It also allows Feenix to share learnings This trend echoes a report by global management consultancy firm Kearney, which indicated that South Africa is only now starting to see the full negative impact of the pandemic and its reduced socialisation, limited schooling, and challenging mental health conditions.
“Despite the many challenges faced over the last two years, South Africans are still resilient. Students even more so,” says Petersen.
She says that, according to the report, 88% of respondents indicated that they were on track to complete their degrees within the allocated time or have completed them already.
with education stakeholders that could highlight opportunities for collaboration and funding.
Based on the findings, one student noted, “I had and still have a lot of breakdowns due to the academic and financial pressure”.
“Due to the pandemic, being a student felt very isolating, I did not get any support whether emotionally or academically from fellow students,” pointed out another respondents of the report.
Financial assistance alone is not enough
Cara-Jean Petersen, the Student Advancement Manager at Feenix, explains that financial assistance alone is not enough.
“While access to funding is paramount, so is assistance with other resources like food, accommodation, transport, and data to mitigate the additional stressors that contribute to the mental health challenges seen in tertiary institutions.”
“More than this, mental health and other developmental resources and support are also critically needed,” she adds.
Based on the findings of the report, many students responded with feedback that pointed to them going through a state of depression and anxiety because they did not have the funds for their fees and accommodation.
“A big part of this is thanks to organisations like Feenix, who are finding new and innovative ways to assist students with mentoring, training, and financial resources,” she adds.
“Last year I thought it was the end of my future, but the moment I received a donation from a funder via Feenix all doors started opening, and I regained hope about life. Now that I’m fully funded, I’m currently doing my internship, and next year I will be able to graduate,” said one of the students in the report.
“Education leads to economic participation and upward mobility for a growing youth population. With the right support and resources, there is hope to turn the tide on the challenges that prevent thousands of university students from thriving,” says Petersen.
* The names of respondents have been withheld in the interest of their privacy.
