Compared with the mid-2000s, by the late 2010s a greater number of adolescents and young adults were experiencing higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, and increased rates of suicide attempts and deaths by suicide. Given that this trend is weak or absent among individuals aged 26 years and older, these data suggest a generational shift in the incidence of mood disorders and suicide-related problems, rather than a generalised increase affecting all age groups equally (Twenge et al., 2019). The decline in mental wellbeing is of particular concern among higher education students. In 2018, one in three first-year undergraduate students met the diagnostic criteria for at least one common mental disorder according to the DSM-IV, based on surveys conducted across nineteen universities in eight countries (Australia, Belgium, Germany, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Mexico, the United States, and Spain) (Auerbach et al., 2018).

Higher education represents a key agent in the promotion of wellbeing during emerging adulthood, as it provides unique access to this population and offers a privileged developmental context in which to address mental health promotion in a comprehensive manner (Conley et al., 2013). Furthermore, the transitional nature of higher education, and university education in particular, constitutes an opportunity for students to acquire strengths and skills that may support them in coping with new developmental challenges (Schulenberg et al., 2004).

Especially following the publication of the Okanagan Charter (2015), an international charter on health-promoting universities and higher education institutions, universities and education professionals have shown increasing interest in offering learning experiences that foster and support student wellbeing (Stanton et al., 2016). This international charter emerged from the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, which involved health professionals, academic staff, administrative staff, health and education policy developers, and students from universities in 45 countries.

Over the past five years in particular, the mental health of emerging adults has become, both in Europe and worldwide, a central concern for education professionals, a major focus of academic research, and a source of social and political debate. Although no single or rapid solution to this problem exists, initiatives aimed at improving wellbeing must seek pathways capable of generating a meaningful positive impact on young people’s lives.

This study seeks to explore how university education can contribute to improving students’ mental health. Specifically, it is guided by the following research questions: (1) What are students’ experiences of wellbeing in university learning processes and learning environments? and (2) What are students’ perceptions of the development of wellbeing components within these learning processes and environments?

The research focuses on the population group with the highest prevalence of mental health difficulties; namely emerging adults aged between 18 and 29 years, who are enrolled at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Health is conceptualised in this study in accordance with the Complete State Model of Health (Keyes, 2005), which regards health as a dimension distinct from illness, with its own characteristics and developmental factors. From this perspective, all individuals, regardless of whether they experience a mental disorder, may benefit from the promotion of mental health. In addition, the study attends to the specific characteristics of this developmental stage by drawing on the synthesis of components for the promotion of wellbeing in emerging adulthood proposed by Martínez-García et al. (2024), which integrates the emotional, psychological, and social dimensions of wellbeing.

A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups as the data collection technique and Reflexive Thematic Analysis, RTA, (Braun & Clarke, 2006) as the method for analysing qualitative data. The sample comprised n = 32 participants (21 women, 65.6%, and 11 men, 34.4%), undergraduate students in their second year or above at the Complutense University of Madrid, aged between 18 and 29 years. Four focus groups were formed, each consisting of students from the same broad field of study (sciences; engineering; natural and health sciences; social sciences; and arts and humanities). A criterion of heterogeneous homogeneity (or inclusive homogeneity) was applied, seeking to include students from as many different faculties as possible within each academic area. The focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured discussion guide developed for this study, which included questions about experiences in learning environments related to the components of wellbeing described in the theoretical framework for the promotion of wellbeing in emerging adulthood (Martínez-García et al., 2024). RTA was selected for data analysis due to its suitability for exploring subjective, culturally influenced, and context-dependent concepts such as wellbeing (Byrne, 2022; Trainor & Bundon, 2021). Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) is an interpretative method for analysing qualitative data that is characterised by the researcher’s active involvement in the identification and analysis of patterns or themes within the data. RTA is conceptualised as the intersection of: (1) the dataset; (2) the theoretical assumptions underpinning the analysis; and (3) the researcher’s analytical skills and resources (Braun & Clarke, 2021). Transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti 25 software. For the coding process required in RTA, an abductive approach was adopted in light of the nature of the research questions. Inductive reasoning was essential for understanding individuals’ experiences and interpretations of wellbeing, while deductive analysis was also necessary to explore the components of wellbeing and their interconnections. A combination of open coding and a predefined code list aligned with the components of the wellbeing model and their definitions was used. Both semantic and latent coding were employed. Semantic codes were generated from meaningful explicit information, whereas latent codes were derived from meaningful underlying content. No priority was given to either type of coding.

The findings of this study consist of a set of student narratives interpreted through the rigorous application of RTA, together with the interconnections identified among them. Beyond the narratives themselves, the analysis also reveals the relationships that students establish between the development of wellbeing components and specific features of university learning environments and learning processes. These relationships provide insight into how wellbeing is experienced and constructed within the academic context. Overall, the conclusions indicate that the design of learning processes and environments should be explicitly oriented towards care and wellbeing. Students associate the development of wellbeing at university with several interrelated factors, including ongoing support and validation throughout the learning process, the quality of interpersonal relationships between teaching staff and students, lecturers’ pedagogical practices, a sense of belonging to a cohesive academic community, and trust in the institution’s commitment to mental health support. On the basis of these findings, a protocol for the design of learning environments and processes aimed at promoting wellbeing was developed as a practical guiding framework for teaching staff. This protocol represents a significant pedagogical contribution to the promotion of student wellbeing and offers a model of relevance for higher education institutions. The implications for the promotion of wellbeing in higher education extend to both learning processes and learning environments. Learning processes encompass curriculum design, the planning and temporal organisation of teaching sessions and workload, the selection of instructional strategies and pedagogical practices, assessment methods, the provision of feedback, relationships between teaching staff and students, peer relationships, care-oriented approaches, and the overall social climate for learning. Supportive learning environments require opportunities for academic and social participation, accessible spaces for student use, visible guidance and support services, and institutional policies and cultures that recognise diversity, respond to students’ needs, and implement effective actions to promote mental health.

Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K., Ebert, D. D., Green, J. G., Hasking, P., Murray, E., Nock, M. K., Pinder-Amaker, S., Sampson, N. A., Stein, D. J., Vilagut, G., Zaslavsky, A. M., Kessler, R. C., & WHO WMH-ICS Collaborators. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(7), 623–638. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000362 Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360 Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56(3), 1391-1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y Conley, C. S., Durlak, J. A., & Dickson, D. A. (2013). An Evaluative Review of Outcome Research on Universal Mental Health Promotion and Prevention Programs for Higher Education Students. Journal of American College Health, 61(5), 286–301. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2013.802237 Keyes, C. L. M. (2005). Mental Illness and/or Mental Health? Investigating Axioms of the Complete State Model of Health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(3), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.539 Martínez-García, A., Valverde-Montesino, S., & García-García, M. (2024). Promoting mental health in higher education: Towards a model of well-being factors in emerging adulthood. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 19(1), 2408831. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2024.2408831 Okanagan Charter: An international charter for health promoting universities and colleges. (2015). International Conference On Health Promoting Universities & Colleges, Kelowna. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0132754 Schulenberg, J. E., Sameroff, A. J., & Cicchetti, D. (2004). The transition to adulthood as a critical juncture in the course of psychopathology and mental health. Development and Psychopathology, 16(04). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579404040015 Stanton, A., Zandvliet, D., Dhaliwal, R., & Black, T. (2016). Understanding Students’ Experiences of Well-Being in Learning Environments. Higher Education Studies, 6(3), 90. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v6n3p90 Trainor, L. R., & Bundon, A. (2021). Developing the craft: Reflexive accounts of doing reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(5), 705-726. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1840423 Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 185–199. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000410