Student mental health in the healthcare professions: exploring the benefits of peer support through the Bridge Network

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Student mental health is a major challenge for higher education in the twenty-first century. Students undertaking healthcare professionally affiliated courses can experience additional pressures that negatively impact on their well-being and can make it more difficult to access support. The paper aims to discuss this issue.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>To address some of these challenges, the Bridge Network was established in one healthcare school in a higher education institution. It is a peer support network co-produced with students studying on healthcare courses to provide group-based support to promote mental well-being. Student peer group facilitators draw on their own lived experience of mental health challenges or of being a carer. The groups provide a safe space for students who may experience mental health difficulties to share, gain support and connect with each other. This paper explores the journey of setting up the Bridge Network.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>Although the group has been well received and various factors have supported its establishment, there are several difficulties that the network has faced. Power imbalances between students and academic staff have been challenging for the co-produced design, alongside enabling positive and safe discloser for healthcare students. However, the network has raised the profile of mental well-being for healthcare students and encouraged supportive conversations about the issue as well as providing enriching volunteer opportunities.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title> <jats:p>The Bridge Network is an innovative development reflecting best practice within mental healthcare. However, to ensure spread and sustainability, alignment with organisational strategy is required.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>The paper explores the strengths and challenges of establishing peer support for students undertaking vocational healthcare courses.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Work environment and performance among nurses: a significant way to overcome violation of human rights in the health sector

“…On the other hand, the factors such as knowledge, technological capabilities and hierarchy culture positively and significantly predict organizational learning behaviour (Al Dari et al , 2020). According to Felton and Lambert (2019), the network encourages the students’ health care, well-being and providing volunteer opportunities. A seminal work by Jena (2021) confirms the positive and significant linkages between workplace spirituality and EP.…”