Abstract
The health care needs and service experiences of higher education students require more research attention, given the increase in students who have a long-term illness, medical condition, or disability (“condition”). It is also important to consider the experiences of rising numbers of international students. This exploratory qualitative study used face-to-face interviews and the common-sense model of self-regulation to investigate students’ perceptions and coping behaviours, in a higher education institution in the UK. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Twenty students who self-identified as having a condition were interviewed. This study adds depth to the understanding of the connections between students’ health-related experiences and their personal, academic, and post-graduation aspirations and the support needs of students, including international students. To optimise institutional support, innovations in partnerships with local care organisations and within the university, staff training about conditions, peer mentorship, and information outreach especially to international students, should be considered.
Highlights
There are nearly 2.3 million higher education students in the UK (Universities UK, 2015) and increasingly there are students who live with a long-term illness, medical condition, or disability (Herts et al, 2014; Storrie et al, 2010)
UK students are eligible for Disabled Student Allowances (DSA), and some students who self-identify with a condition may not disclose it to higher education institutions which may mean that these numbers may underestimate the numbers of students affected (Royster & Marshall, 2008)
We coded the transcripts for the illness perceptions and perceptions and experiences related to international student status with openness to identifying additional themes not included in the common-sense model of self-regulation (CSM)
Summary
There are nearly 2.3 million higher education students in the UK (Universities UK, 2015) and increasingly there are students who live with a long-term illness, medical condition, or disability (Herts et al, 2014; Storrie et al, 2010). Within the higher education student population, the number of students living with various conditions is hard to quantify. According to UK-based Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the percentage of full-time firstdegree students from the UK receiving Disabled Student Allowances (DSA) has trended upward from 2000 to 2017; in Scotland, there was an increase from 1.1 to 4.6% (HESA, 2018). UK students are eligible for DSA, and some students who self-identify with a condition may not disclose it to higher education institutions which may mean that these numbers may underestimate the numbers of students affected (Royster & Marshall, 2008)
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