Student driven mental health promotion in an Australian university setting

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate university students[U+05F3] perceptions of mental health problems, through an exploration of proposed health promotion interventions. An action research approach was undertaken to inform the health promotion interventions of the MindWise study. A qualitative thematic analysis of focus group data was undertaken. Three themes were abstracted from the data: the importance of (i) harm minimisation messaging, (ii) emphasising early intervention and acknowledging the impact of untreated mental health problems, (iii) addressing stigma and concerns about confidentiality. Student involvement is a cost-effective way to increase the acceptability of health p..