Relevance of mental health issues in university student dropouts

Abstract

A significant proportion of university students drop out of their courses, representing a significant loss of resources in terms of funds invested in them, as well as loss of revenue to universities. To determine whether a history of recent or current mental health problems affected the likelihood of university students dropping out of their studies and, if so, whether additional supportive measures are needed. We scrutinized the occupational health records of a cohort of students enrolled in 2005 to identify whether they had evidence of mental health problems at that time. Additionally, we identified all cohort members who had dropped out of their courses by 2011, thereby identifying students with a history of mental health problems among all those who dropped out. The dates in question were chosen to ensure that the permissible time limit for completing their studies had elapsed at the end of the follow-up period. In total, 1319 student records were surveyed. Of these, 181 students (14%) did not complete their studies. Further, 278 (21%) had evidence of mental health problems at enrolment but students dropping out of courses were not more likely to have had a recent or current mental health problem at the time of enrolling. The presence of mental health problems at the time of course enrolment was not a predictor for subsequently dropping out of the course in question. The findings suggest that existing supportive measures for this group may be adequate.