Student perceptions on community well-being in Higher Education: Social capital and connection, place, and culture

Settings approaches aim to enhance positive mental health and well-being in all community members. Higher Education is an ideal setting for positive mental health promotion, given its scale and the global concern regarding increasing rates of mental health and well-being difficulties in students. Community well-being – “being well together” – provides a lens to explore what initiatives should target to enhance mental health and well-being across the student population. This is the first study to ask students about what they believe the components of community well-being are in Higher Education, to identify potential areas for intervention. Participants (n = 12) were currently enrolled students who provided their perspectives on components of community well-being in qualitative interviews with photo-elicitation. Through Reflexive Thematic Analysis, three themes were generated, representing components of community well-being: Building Social Capital and Connection; Physical Spaces Facilitate Connection, Belonging and Learning; and Supportive and Positive University Culture. Meaningful social connections and the space and time to build and maintain these were paramount, and institutional culture had to support and provide resources for such initiatives. Integrating these components into practice has potential to enhance students’ mental health and overall student experience in Higher Education.