Holistic Wellbeing as a Pillar of Higher Education: Interlinking Policy, Institutional Practice, and Research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29070/cs6zpe46Keywords:
Holistic wellbeing, higher education, mental health, policy integration, institutional practices, student wellbeingAbstract
Higher education’s function has expanded to include student’s entire development in addition to its traditional goal of disseminating knowledge. A paradigm change toward wellbeing-centered educational frameworks has been required due to rising levels of stress, anxiety, and psychological suffering among students. This study analyses the relationships between institutional practices, research viewpoints, and policy frameworks in order to investigate holistic health as a fundamental tenet of higher education. The study highlights significant implementation and governance shortcomings by drawing on theoretical theories of wellbeing, Indian and international policy frameworks, and modern institutional practices. Additionally, it suggests an integrated framework that unifies research, practice, and policy to guarantee inclusive and long-lasting student wellness.The report contends that current initiatives remain disjointed and ineffectual in the absence of systemic integration. In order to integrate holistic health into higher education systems, the report ends with suggestions for institutional restructuring, legislative changes, and evidence-based treatments.
Downloads
References
1. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.
2. Gururaj, G., Varghese, M., Benegal, V., Rao, G. N., Pathak, K., Singh, L. K., & NMHS Collaborators Group. (2016). National mental health survey of India, 2015–16. NIMHANS.
3. Hunt, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2010). Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 46(1), 3–10.
4. Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207–222.
5. Ministry of Education. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. Government of India.
6. NCRB. (2022). Accidental deaths & suicides in India. Government of India.
7. Nussbaum, M. (2011). Creating capabilities. Harvard University Press.
8. Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., et al. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health. The Lancet, 392(10157).
9. Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish. Free Press.
10. Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
11. United Nations. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals.
12. World Health Organization. (2013). Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020.
13. American College Health Association. (2022). National college health assessment III: Undergraduate student reference group executive summary. ACHA.
14. Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P., … Kessler, R. C. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys international college student project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), 623–638.
15. Beiter, R., Nash, R., McCrady, M., Rhoades, D., Linscomb, M., Clarahan, M., &Sammut, S. (2015). The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 173, 90–96.
16. Dodge, R., Daly, A. P., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L. D. (2012). The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2(3), 222–235.
17. Eisenberg, D., Hunt, J., & Speer, N. (2013). Mental health in American colleges and universities: Variation across student subgroups. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 201(1), 60–67.
18. Fazel, M., Hoagwood, K., Stephan, S., & Ford, T. (2014). Mental health interventions in schools: A review of universal, selective, and indicated approaches. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(4), 377–400.
19. Gallagher, R. P. (2014). National survey of college counselingcenters. International Association of Counseling Services.
20. Gruttadaro, D., &Crudo, D. (2012). College students speak: A survey report on mental health. National Alliance on Mental Illness.
21. Hernández-Torrano, D., Reijke, S., & Carrasco, D. (2020). Student mental health in higher education: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(3), 789–812.
22. Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602.
23. McGorry, P., Purcell, R., Goldstone, S., &Amminger, G. (2011). Age of onset and timing of treatment for mental disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 24(4), 301–306.
24. Okanagan Charter. (2015). An international charter for health promoting universities and colleges. International Conference on Health Promoting Universities.
25. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2021). Supporting young people’s mental health through education. OECD Publishing.
26. Reavley, N. J., &Jorm, A. F. (2010). Prevention and early intervention for mental health problems in higher education. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 4(2), 132–142.
27. Rickwood, D., Deane, F. P., Wilson, C. J., &Ciarrochi, J. (2005). Young people’s help-seeking for mental health problems. Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4(3), 218–251.
28. Slade, M. (2010). Mental illness and well-being: The central importance of positive psychology. BMC Health Services Research, 10, 26.
29. Stallman, H. M. (2010). Psychological distress in university students. Australian Psychologist, 45(4), 249–257.
30. Thorley, C. (2017). Not by degrees: Improving student mental health in the UK’s universities. Institute for Public Policy Research.
31. World Health Organization & UNESCO. (2021). Making every school a health-promoting school. WHO.






