Exploring Nigerian Universities Online Students’ Experiences of Mental Health Supports: Descriptive Phenomenology

The reported study investigated the availability of institution-wide mental health support services and action plans for online students to address mental health impairments in Nigerian universities. The research questions explored how Nigerian online students perceived the mental health support services provided by their institutions before, during, and after mental health crises. Employing a descriptive phenomenological paradigm, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine online students from Nigerian universities. The findings revealed a limited understanding of mental health issues among online students. Additionally, they highlighted the absence of institutional support services or action plans for promoting mental health wellness among Nigerian online students. To address these issues, the study recommends a pre-admission assessment of students’ readiness to succeed in the online learning environment, an online learner orientation program, and mental health education to raise awareness of mental health impairment symptoms. This study contributes to the scarce literature on online students’ mental health policy and support systems in Nigeria’s distance education platforms. Also, it provides online education stakeholders with insights to inform online students’ mental health policy. Ultimately, it may foster innovative practices and capacity-building programs among the online learning providers in Nigeria.