•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Background: Workplace mental health is a growing concern in higher education, especially in open and distance learning (ODL) settings, where staff face unique stressors. This study examines the mental health and counseling needs of academic and support staff at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), Thailand, using a biopsychosocial lens.

Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, 332 staff completed a questionnaire on mental health and biopsychosocial factors. Twelve participants then took part in interviews to explore their experiences and counseling preferences. Quantitative data were analyzed using stepwise regression, and qualitative data through thematic analysis. Findings were integrated to identify patterns across data sources.

Results: Quantitative results showed that 35.2% had good mental health, while 32.2% had poor mental health. Social factors were the strongest positive predictors, followed by psychological and biological ones. Older age, being female, and higher education were linked to better mental health, while contractual employment was linked to worse. Qualitative data supported these findings, identifying five key stressors: workload, lack of support, career uncertainty, personal/family issues, and organizational culture. Participants preferred accessible, anonymous, and digital counselling services.

Conclusion: The study underscores the multidimensional nature of mental health in ODL settings. Findings suggest the need for integrated mental health policies, digital support tools, and equitable access to counseling services to improve institutional well-being and staff resilience.

Keywords: Workplace mental health, University staff, Counseling needs, Mental health predictors, Policy enhancement, Thailand

References

[1] World Health Organization [WHO]. Health and well-being. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2025 May 6]. Available from: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/major-themes/healthand-well-being.

[2] World Health Organization [WHO]. Depression and other common mental disorders: global health estimates. Geneva: WHO; 2017.

[3] Ratanasiripong P, Siri S, Hanklang S, Chumchai P, Galvan F. Factors related to mental health and quality of life among college and university teaching professionals in Thailand. Thai J Public Health 2024;54(1):828e45.

[4] Times Higher Education. Thammasat University invests in staff and student mental health [cited 2025 May 6]. Available from: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/research/thammasat-university/thammasat-university-invests-staffand-student-mental-health; 2024.

[5] Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Distance learning system. Nonthaburi: STOU 2023 [cited 2025 May 6]. Available from: https://www.stou.ac.th/main/StouPlan.html.

[6] Jailani MA, Karim H, Rus MF. Exploring mental health challenges and counseling needs in an open university context: A case study of Open University Malaysia (OUM). Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci 2024;14(11):2403e26. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i11/23774.

[7] Demerouti E, Bakker AB, Nachreiner F, Schaufeli WB. The job demands-resources model of burnout. J Appl Psychol 2001;86(3):499e512.

[8] Bakker AB, Demerouti E. The Job Demands-Resources model: state of the art. J Manag Psychol 2007;22(3):309e28. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115.

[9] Douglas V, Pickering N, Waring K, Karanika-Murray M. Wellbeing in the higher education sector: a qualitative study of staff perceptions in UK universities. J Workplace Behav Health 2024;39(1):1e24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2024.2341741.

[10] Poalses J, Bezuidenhout A. Mental health in higher education: a comparative stress risk assessment at an open distance learning university in South Africa. Int Rev Res Open Distrib Learn 2018;19(2):139e57. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v19i2.3391.

[11] Levecque K, Anseel F, De Beuckelaer A, Van der Heyden J, Gisle L. Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students. Res Policy 2017;46(4):868e79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2017.02.008.

[12] Mark G, Smith AP. Occupational stress, job characteristics, coping, and the mental health of nurses. Br J Health Psychol 2012 Sep;17(3):505e21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8287.2011.02051.x.

[13] Johnson AP, Lester RJ. Mental health in academia: Hacks for cultivating and sustaining wellbeing. Am J Hum Biol 2022 Feb;34(Suppl 1):e23664. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23664.

[14] Margrove KL, Gustowska M, Grove LS. Provision of support for psychological distress by university staff, and receptiveness to mental health training. J Further High Educ 2014; 38(1):90e106. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2012.699518.

[15] Engel S, Susilo A. Shaming and sanitation in Indonesia: a return to colonial public health practices? Dev Change 2014; 45:133e55. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12075.

[16] Wade DT, Halligan PW. Thebiopsychosocial model of illness: a model whose time has come. Clin Rehabil 2017 Aug;31(8): 995e1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215517709890.

[17] Alvarez AS, Pagani M, Meucci P. The clinical application of the biopsychosocial model in mental health: a research critique. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2012 Feb;91(13 Suppl 1): S173e80. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0b013e31823d54be.

[18] Engel GL. The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Psychodyn Psychiatry 2012 Sep;40(3):377e96. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2012.40.3.377.

[19] Creswell J, Plano Clark V. Revisiting mixed methods research designs twenty years later. In: Poth CN, editor. The Sage handbook of mixed methods research design. SAGE Publications Ltd.: London, United Kingdom. p21-36.

[20] Ministry of Public Health, Department of Mental Health. Manual for Thai Mental Health Indicator (TMHIe55). Nonthaburi: Department. 2006.

[21] Best JW. Research in education. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1977.

[22] Field A. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics. 5th ed. London: SAGE; 2018.

[23] Ibrahim AK, Kelly SJ, Adams CE, Glazebrook C. A systematic review of studies of depression prevalence in university students. J Psychiatr Res 2013 Mar;47(3):391e400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.11.015.

[24] Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE. Multivariate data analysis. 8th ed. United Kingdom: Cengage Learning; 2019. [25] Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 2006;3(2):77e101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.

[26] Nowell LS, Norris JM, White DE, Moules NJ. Thematic analysis: striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. Int J Qual Methods 2017;16(1):1609406917733847. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847.

[27] Woranetipo S, Chavanovanich J. Three-way interactions of workload, social support and coping strategy on job burnout. J Behav Sci 2021;16(1):58e72.

[28] Irandoost SF, Yoosefi Lebni J, Soofizad G, Chaboksavar F, Khalili S, Mehedi N, et al. The prevalence of burnout and its relationship with capital types among university staff in Tehran, Iran: A cross-sectional study. Heliyon 2021 Jan 28;7(1):e06055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06055.

[29] Clemons A. Supporting faculty resilience: Department chairs' role in community building amid trauma. Am J Qual Res 2025;9(1):16e31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15877.

[30] Pookkaman N, Sripradit A, Theerasak W. Exploring the causes of burnout syndrome among university instructors in Thailand. J Arts Manag 2024;8(3):1e14.

[31] Folkman S. Stress: appraisal and coping. In: Gellman MD, Turner JR, editors. Encyclopedia of behavioral medicine. New York: Springer; 2013. p. 1913e5.

[32] Vacchi OGB, Menis D, Scarpis E, Tullio A, Piciocchi B, Gazzetta S, et al. Stress management: how does the academic staff cope with it? a cross-sectional study at the university of Udine. BMC Public Health 2024 Jun 5;24(1):1509. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18935-7.

[33] Meuangkhwa P, Chaniang S, Klongdee K. Depression among Thai undergraduate students: the critical role of higher educational institutions. J Nurs Siam Univ 2021; 21(41):104e16. https://doi.org/10.14456/jnsu.v21i41.244029.

[34] Solomon S, du Plessis M. Experiences of precarious work within higher education institutions: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Front Educ 2023;8:1e14. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.960649.

[35] van Niekerk RL, van Gent MM. Mental health and wellbeing of university staff during the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. S Afr J Psychiatr 2021 Mar 8;27:1589. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v27i0.1589.

[36] Elliott M, Blithe S. Gender inequality, stress exposure, and well-being among academic faculty. Int J High Educ 2020;10: 19658. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v10n2p240.

[37] Lei M, Alam GM, Hassan AB. Job burnout amongst university administrative staff members in ChinadA perspective on SDGs. Sustainability 2023;15(11):8932. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118873.

[38] Bielinski L, Berger T. Internet interventions for mental health: current state of research, lessons learned and future directions. Couns Psychother Psychol 2020;28(3):35e49. https://doi.org/10.17759/cpp.2020280305.

[39] Andersson G, Carlbring P, Berger T, Almlov J, Cuijpers P. What makes Internet therapy work? Cogn Behav Ther 2009;38(Suppl 1):55-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/16506070902916400.

[40] Stoll J, Müller JA, Trachsel M. Ethical issues in online psychotherapy: a narrative review. Front Psychiatry 2020 Feb 11; 10:993. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00993.

[41] Gay K, Barth D. Customized care: addressing the unique mental health needs of online students. Orlando: The Online Learning Consortium; 2024.

[42] Bugshan W, Qahtani S, Alwagdani N, Alharthi M, Alqarni A, Alsuat H, et al. Role of health awareness campaigns in improving public health: a systematic review. Int J Life Sci Pharm Res 2022;12(6):29e35. https://doi.org/10.22376/ijpbs/lpr.2022.12.6.L29-35.

[43] Fetters MD, Curry LA, Creswell JW. Achieving integration in mixed methods designsdprinciples and practices. Health Serv Res 2013 Dec;48(6 Pt 2):2134e56. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12117.

[44] Tourangeau R, Plewes TJ. Nonresponse in social science surveys: a research agenda. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press; 2013. [45] Groves RM, Couper MP. Nonresponse in household interview surveys. Hoboken: Wiley; 2012.

[46] Etikan I, Bala K. Sampling and sampling methods. Biom Biostat Int J 2017;5(6):215e7. https://doi.org/10.15406/bbij.2017.05.00149.

[47] Wang C, Pan R, Wan X, Tan Y, Xu L, McIntyre RS, et al. A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Brain Behav Immun 2020 Jul;87:40e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028.

[48] Yarkoni T, Westfall J. Choosing prediction over explanation in psychology: lessons from machine learning. Perspect Psychol Sci 2017 Nov;12(6):1100e22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617693393.

[49] Tibshirani R. Regression shrinkage and selection via the LASSO. J RStat Soc Series B 1996;58(1):267e88. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2346178.

Download

Share

COinS