The impact of social support on university students living with mental illness: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BackgroundLimited reviews address the role of social support for university students with mental health issues, despite its proven significance for other vulnerable groups.AimsThe current review aims to examine the current evidence on the nature and impact of social support for students with self-reported and diagnosed mental health problems, along with the availability and effectiveness of social support interventions.MethodsElectronic databases (CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, HMIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Web of Science) and grey literature databases (EThOS, SSRN) were systematically searched from inception to March 2024 Articles were eligible for inclusion if they reported on the nature and role of social support for university students with mental health problems. Data from included articles were extracted and narratively synthesised. Quality of included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.ResultsTen studies, involving 3669 participants, were included. Findings indicated high social support significantly mitigated against suicide, depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. Barriers to support access and both positive and negative impacts on mental health were identified.ConclusionsResults underscore the need to consider the distinct support requirements of students with mental health problems, who often face insufficient access to high social support. This emphasises the potential for effective interventions in this population. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO in December 2021 (CRD42022286385). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adhered to during the development and reporting of the systematic review (Page et al., 2021).