The need to persevere - does higher education emphasise performance at the expense of well-being?
A recent study identified students' different well-being profiles and examined how they relate to recovery strategies and perceived performance in university studies.
"Particularly interesting, but also alarming, was the occurrence of so-called studyholistism in combination with study fatigue," say PhD Elisa Vilhunen from the University of Helsinki, and PhD Johanna Rantanen from the Ģֱ.
The researchers investigated how students perceived their ability to cope with their studies. Among the students, those who combined study spirit with studyholism (17%) felt that they were less successful than those who combined study spirit with study satisfaction (26%). Students who were bored and exhausted by their studies (13%) felt they were doing the worst in their studies. The survey also identified a group of students (44%) who considered their satisfaction with their studies to be average.
"In light of these findings, it is important that universities develop support programmes that promote both students' personal well-being and academic performance. In practice this means, for example, well-being courses or programmes and recovery support practices," Vilhunen recommends.
"For example, deadlines for returning assignments could be, say, mid-week or a few days before the holidays, so that students have plenty of time to disconnect from their studies and enjoy the weekend and holidays," adds Rantanen.
The study is part of a wider project carried out in 2026-2017 at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Ģֱ, which surveyed university students' wellbeing, recovery from studying and career management and planning skills. The study is also the first of its kind to examine the wellbeing of university students through five different dimensions of wellbeing: academic motivation, academic holism, academic satisfaction, academic fatigue and academic exhaustion. This approach provides a deeper and more complex understanding of student well-being.
Vilhunen, E., Kiuru, N., Mäkikangas, A., Vasalampi, K., Kastarinen, P., & Rantanen, J. (2025). Study well-being profiles, recovery strategies, and academic performance among university students: A person-oriented approach. Higher Education.
Rantanen, J., Selkamo, S., Turunen, T., & Hanhimäki, E. (2018). Onko hoppu? -kehittämistutkimus: Yliopisto-opiskelijoiden urasuunnittelutaitojen ja työelämävalmiuksien vahvistaminen.
