Disruption of academic occupations during COVID-19: impact on mental health and the role of occupational therapy in tertiary education

Abstract

Education is a social determinant of health and higher education can promote inclusion in society. Inclusion in higher education during social distancing can limit engagement in academic occupations. Lack of engagement can lead to mental health concerns. Populations that are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic may also see a disproportionate rise in mental health issues. Occupational therapists can advocate for a role with students using Wilcock's concepts of doing, being, belonging, and becoming. They can address not only individual-level factors among students, but population-level factors that can promote both mental health and occupational justice in the educational spaces of students, both online and face to face. This case study provides a review of the role that occupational therapy can play on and off campuses amid the pandemic to address the mental health needs of students in higher education.

A Qualitative Exploration on the Role of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Students in the University Setting in the Philippines

“…Students and teaching staff in the university setting experienced undue stress and a variety of psychological impacts when prompted with shifts in ways of engaging in the usual in-campus activities or occupations. 8,11 Engagement in academic occupations, which range from participating in class discussions to extracurricular activities, are influenced by the mental health of the individual. 12 By supporting the mental health of students in the university setting, OTPs can potentially make a positive impact in the engagement of students in academic occupations.…”

“…19 OT has been an emerging support service for students' mental health in Western literature. 8 However, there has been no record of this practice in the Philippine context. 20 Hence, prompting the exploration of the role of Filipino OTPs in MHPSS in the university setting.…”

“…Numerous transitions changed the way how teachers and students engage in academic occupations and how they meet their occupational needs which negatively affected their mental health. 8 With the easing and removal of restrictions in terms of community mobility and social gatherings, universities are slowly re-opening and transitioning to engaging in academic occupations in the new normal.…”

“…Students in the Philippines navigating the new normal may greatly benefit from OT interventions founded on the concepts of doing, being, belonging, and becoming. 8 In the Philippine context, there may be an opportunity for OT mental health practice in the university setting. This opportunity for mental health practice is also supported by existing literature about the involvement of OT practitioners (OTPs) in disasters or amid challenging times.…”

Online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate occupational therapy students at two Australian universities

“…Senior students' greater positive experience of interactions and collaboration with peers, compared to first-year students, suggests that the networks formed during the first academic semesters are important for developing attachments and connections that enable collaborative working. Keptner and McCarthy (2020) emphasise that when students feel they are a member of a class or cohort, they often gain a sense of belonging, but these bonds can be hard to achieve when education programmes are delivered using virtual methods. For first-year students during the period of remote learning, being denied opportunities for face-to-face contact and getting to know academic staff, tutors and fellow students in the new intake, the issues are compounded.…”