Multifactorial Discrimination and Student Mental Health: Implications for More Inclusive Higher Education

Abstract

Higher education institutions should offer their students a safe, inclusive space that protects their mental health. Addressing this requires a holistic approach fostering a culture of belonging and psychological safety within academic communities. This research explores the association of multifactorial discrimination with student mental health and the potential of social integration to mitigate this effect in order to identify possible levers for higher education institutions. Logistic regression analysis indicates that discrimination is a significant predictor of mental health problems with social integration moderating this relationship. Additionally, an ANOVA reveals that students who experience discrimination rate psychological counselling services less positively than those without such experiences. This highlights the need to strengthen social integration of students at higher education institutions and psychological counselling especially for those facing discrimination.