Well-Being and Academic Experiences in Bereaved University Students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Higher Education Studies
• Student Well-being

Background:

• Universities are increasingly focused on student well-being.
• Bereaved students face unique challenges balancing grief and academic responsibilities.
• Grief can negatively impact academic performance and overall student well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate academic changes and support experiences among bereaved Australian university students.
• To examine the influence of post-bereavement academic experiences on student well-being and grades.
• To identify factors associated with grief severity and academic challenges in bereaved students.

Main Methods:

• Online, cross-sectional survey design.
• Involved 130 bereaved Australian university students.
• Assessed academic changes, support experiences, grief severity, well-being, and university connectedness.

Main Results:

• Nearly half of bereaved students reported worsened academic experiences post-bereavement.
• 30.4% of students exhibited symptoms of prolonged grief.
• Closeness to the deceased correlated with increased grief severity and poorer academic experiences.
• Higher grief severity was linked to decreased student well-being, exacerbated by worsened academic experiences and higher university connectedness.

Conclusions:

• Bereaved students' well-being is significantly impacted by grief and academic challenges.
• Closeness to the deceased is a critical factor influencing grief and academic outcomes.
• Universities need to implement grief-specific support services, as generic well-being programs may not adequately address the needs of grieving students.