In the past ten years, there has been an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety among young women. We do not know whether this trend is echoed within the student population or how characteristics, including gender, ethnicity, sexuality or socio-economic status interact with mental health within this population. While the UK has a strong tradition of high-quality general population surveys, existing surveys do not lend themselves readily to comparing student mental health with that of non-students. Many fail to ask whether the respondent is a student, or miss details about education sector. Within population surveys, students are a small minority of respondents and those living in residential halls are likely to be under-represented in household surveys.

Despite the limitations of existing general population data sets informative analysis could be completed. For instance, the ESRC Understanding Society survey is one of a number of cross sectional and longitudinal data sets that could be used. Understanding Society indicates those in full time education, establishes whether this is FE, HE college or university and includes measures of mental health and wellbeing. As a longitudinal survey, tracking respondents over time, it provides insight into the impact of becoming a student. The sample is large, so inequalities in rates of mental distress between different groups of students could also be explored.

In this webinar, led by Sally McManus, we will:

• Discuss the data sets available that allow for comparison of student and non-student mental health
• Clarify how to access this data
• Consider challenges in working with this data, and approaches that might be taken to navigate these challenges
• Identify questions that might be addressed through secondary data analysis

If there is something in particular you would Sally to cover, please contact her in advance of the webinar at sally.mcmanus@natcen.ac.uk – and, where possible, she will incorporate this within the webinar.

Registration for the event will close on Sunday 17th March