How university climate impacts psychosocial safety, psychosocial risk, and mental health among staff in Australian higher education: a qualitative study.
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| Title: | How university climate impacts psychosocial safety, psychosocial risk, and mental health among staff in Australian higher education: a qualitative study. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Luu, Xuan1,2 (AUTHOR) Xuan.Luu@rmit.edu.au, Rathjens, Christine1 (AUTHOR), Swadling, Michael1 (AUTHOR), Gresham, Bronwyn1 (AUTHOR), Hockman, Leya1 (AUTHOR), Scott-Young, Christina3 (AUTHOR), Leifels, Katrin3 (AUTHOR), Zadow, Amy J.4,5 (AUTHOR), Dollard, Maureen F.4 (AUTHOR), Kent, Lachlan1,6 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Higher Education (00181560). Nov2025, Vol. 90 Issue 5, p1273-1290. 18p. |
| Subject Terms: | *College environment, *Higher education, *Corporate culture, *Qualitative research, Psychological safety, Mental health, Employee well-being, Social responsibility |
| Abstract: | Research has reported an epidemic of mental health concerns among staff in higher education. Universities can improve staff mental health by creating work environments that are more psychologically, socially, and organisationally safe and supportive. Yet, qualitative evidence in this area remains limited, and there are calls for further qualitative research to understand how institutional and systemic conditions affect university staff mental health. We accordingly designed a programme of embedded mixed-methods survey research to explore how university climate shapes psychosocial safety, psychosocial risk, and mental health at one Australian institution. In this article, we present findings from the qualitative dimension of our work: an inductive qualitative content analysis of 857 staff responses to one open-ended survey question: 'How do aspects of the university impact your mental wellbeing?' Participants spoke to six distinct aspects of university climate: (i) workload; (ii) institutional systems and policies; (iii) institutional culture; (iv) local management; (v) senior management; and (vi) harmful behaviours. Together, these findings reveal great complexity in how systemic, institutional, and relational phenomena all impact university staff. We situate our findings within the context of existing scholarship on staff mental health in higher education; discuss their implications for future research, practice, and policymaking; and conclude with an urgent call to action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 189682621 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=189682621 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10734-024-01376-x Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 18 StartPage: 1273 Subjects: – SubjectFull: College environment Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher education Type: general – SubjectFull: Corporate culture Type: general – SubjectFull: Qualitative research Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological safety Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental health Type: general – SubjectFull: Employee well-being Type: general – SubjectFull: Social responsibility Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: How university climate impacts psychosocial safety, psychosocial risk, and mental health among staff in Australian higher education: a qualitative study. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Luu, Xuan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rathjens, Christine – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Swadling, Michael – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Gresham, Bronwyn – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hockman, Leya – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Scott-Young, Christina – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Leifels, Katrin – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zadow, Amy J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Dollard, Maureen F. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kent, Lachlan IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 11 Text: Nov2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00181560 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 90 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Higher Education (00181560) Type: main |
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