Mental Well-Being of Counsellors in A Tertiary Institution (Pre-Training Fitness Assessment).
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Date
2025-01-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BATNA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Abstract
Introduction. Counsellors in tertiary institutions play a large role in students’ mental
health, literacy (MHL), and well-being. However, the counsellor’s mental well-being
must also be considered to function effectively. Materials and Methods. This study is
part of a three-phase research project that assessed the MHL and well-being of school
counsellors at the University of Ilorin. This was a mixed-method study. Data was
collected using modified Pinfold questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire-12,
WHO Wellbeing-5 and Key- informant interviews. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS
version 26.0 and thematic analysis. The significance level was p ≤0.05, and the
confidence interval was 95%. Results. Of the 13 faculty counsellors at the University,
ten (77%) responded. Respondents’ mean age was 49±7.26 years. Only 50% of the
respondents had prior mental health training, and all had come across a mentally
stressed student. The overall WHO well-being score was 76 ± 9.43. Probable
psychiatric morbidity was recorded in 50%, with no significant association with
sociodemographics, WHO well-being QOL, or Pinfold knowledge and attitude scales
except for social distance, which did not predict psychiatric morbidity (p-value 0.122,
OR 0.267). Although counsellors practise self-care, they have no structured guidelines
or training on self-care practices. There was a low counsellor-to-student ratio.
Conclusion: This study provided baseline data about the mental well-being of school
counsellors and their attitudes before mental health training. The findings indicated
that policymakers and administrators must focus on school counsellors' training and
mental health. They should also provide enough school counsellors to meet the needs
of students and University community.
Description
Keywords
School counsellors, mental health literacy, mental well-being, self care practices, university students/tertiary institution
Citation
Buhari, O. I. N., Wuraola, B., Alatishe, M., Jane, A., Ogunmodede, F. N., Bolu-Steve, M. M., Fasiku, A. S., Erubu, O. A., Bolarinwa, A. A., & Adegoke, A. A. (2025). Mental well-being of counsellors in a tertiary institution (Pre-training fitness assessment). Babcock Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, *1*(2), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.48087/BJMSoa.2025.12104