Dr Cassie Hazell, Lecturer in Psychology, has led a project which has received over £150,000 in funding from the Office for Students (OfS) to support mental health. The project, entitled ‘UniVRse’, is a virtual reality (VR) intervention to support first-generation university students with social anxiety.
Social anxiety is a common but debilitating mental health problem amongst students which can prevent engagement and attendance in lectures, seminars, and the social aspects of university, which in turn can worsen future employment prospects. First-generation students (FGS) are especially vulnerable to social anxiety in the university context due to imposter feelings and worse preparedness.
To combat this, UniVRse will use cutting-edge VR technology to deliver a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-based intervention that uses established exposure techniques to reduce social anxiety, increase social confidence, and improve educational engagement in socially anxious FGS’. The psychological therapy gives students the opportunity to tackle their fears in small steps and give time for their anxieties to adjust, while VR provides an innovative vehicle for CBT due to its cost effectiveness, reduction of wait time, engaging nature and the effects translate directly into the real world. Through the programme, students will experience virtual simulations of anxiety-invoking university-based situations that will be adapted using graded exposure techniques. The content and design of the UniVRSe virtual reality program will be led by first generation student co-designers.
UniVRse is a joint venture project between principle investigator Dr Cassie Hazell and co-investigators Dr Nina Smyth and Dr Jo Birkett from the School of Social Sciences at Westminster; as well as partners from Empathetic Media, University of Sussex, and MindTech at the University of Nottingham.
Dr Hazell’s project is one of 18 innovative projects across universities and colleges in England which are receiving funding to support student mental health in a £6 million programme. The package comprises £1 million provided by the Department of Health and Social Care, £2 million from the Department for Education and £3 million in co-investment from universities, colleges and partner organisations taking part. The chosen projects are specifically designed to develop targeted interventions, focussing on student groups which may be at increased risk of poor mental health or may face barriers to accessing support.
All 18 OfS-funded projects will run from summer 2021 and will complete their evaluation by September 2023. They are designed to deliver improved support in the short-term, as well as provide sustainable developments to support good practice across the entirety of the sector.
Talking about UniVRse, principal investigator Dr Cassie Hazell said: “As a first generation student myself, I remember feeling nervous and out of my depth when I first started university. My only references to what university life was like were what I saw on TV. The UniVRse project will combine virtual reality technology with evidence-based psychological therapy techniques to produce a programme that will help first generation students overcome these nerves and feel more confident at university. We are excited to work with Westminster students throughout this project to ensure we produce something that is impactful for them.”
Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students, said: “Having a mental health condition should not be a barrier to success in higher education, but for many students this is still the case. Data shows that students reporting a mental health condition are more likely to drop out, less likely to graduate with a first or 2:1, and progress into skilled work or further study – compared to students without a declared condition. We also know that students come to university or college from a range of backgrounds and that their individual journey, and the kind of support they require, is likely to be influenced by their specific circumstances.
“That’s why this funding of targeted interventions for student mental health is so important. By paying attention to the diverse needs of students; universities and colleges can fine-tune the support they offer and ensure that all students, regardless of where they are from, have the best chance possible to succeed.
“Working with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, we are pleased to be able to fund projects across a range universities and colleges targeting a number of priority groups. We look forward to working with these projects to develop and evaluate innovative and collaborative approaches to targeted support for student mental health, and to support the take-up of this learning for the benefit of students in all parts of the sector.”
Find out more about the UniVRse project and the fifteen other funded projects on the Office for Students website.
If students would like to get involved in the project, please email [email protected].
