Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index and Canada’s Student Mental Health Network

The Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI), a tool designed to help researchers and institutions better evaluate the sources of student stress, was released at 15 post-secondary institutions across Canada during the 2020-2021 academic year. In an effort to provide universal mental health promotion – including stress reduction – to Canadian post-secondary students in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s Student Mental Health Network was also developed. Co-created with students, the Network is an online, one-stop-shop for students to access reliable mental health education, tools, and resources to help them maintain their mental health and well-being (www.studentmentalhealthnetwork.ca). This talk by Dr. Brooke Linden (Queen’s University) explores the utility of the PSSI in evaluating and monitoring student stressors and shares the experience from a participating campus, Dr. Janine Olthius (University of New Brunswick). The talk also explores the implications of the delivery of universal, online mental health promotion via the Network.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will have:

1. Learned about the PSSI’s psychometric properties, utility, and usefulness within the post-secondary setting.

2. Learned how the Student Mental Health Network can provide universal mental health promotion to all students across Canada.

3. Understood the value of utilizing a for-students, by-students approach to developing mental health initiatives in a higher education setting.