Mental Health and Disability at Third Level: Findings from a national study on student mental health

Abstract

In 2018 the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) undertook a study to provide an overview of students’ mental health experience in third level education across the island of Ireland (Price, A. and Smith, HA. 2019). The objectives of USI’s study were to describe and explore the: demographics of students in third level education in Ireland, in particular: -the proportion of third level students that report mental health distress and ill health; -gain information on the mental health of specific groups; - explore the availability and usage of mental health support services for third level students. One of the groups that the USI study focused on was students that identified as having a mental and/or physical disability. The purpose of this paper is to summarise the key findings, from the USI study, that are specific to third level students with disabilities. The paper will conclude with disability policy recommendations for third level education settings.