Mental Well-Being of Counsellors in A Tertiary Institution (Pre-Training Fitness Assessment).

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.