‘I’m not trained, I’m not qualified’: a systematic review of the mental health literacy amongst British university academics

For most university students, their tutors or lecturers play an important role when they are experiencing mental health problems (MHPs), and these academics have a responsibility to support students during this. This review aimed to examine the current mental health literacy (MHL) amongst university academics. A systematic review of studies that explored the MHL of academics at UK universities was conducted. It followed the PRISMA guideline and is registered on PROSPERO. Searches were undertaken on six databases, accessed through EBSCO. The studies were limited to peer-reviewed, academic journals, published from 2014 onwards and in English. A further search of reference lists and related citations was conducted. The studies were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklist and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s six steps. Six studies, including qualitative and mixed methods were included. Four main themes were identified: the academics’ ability to recognise MHPs, the academics’ ability to manage MHPs, support that the university provides to academics and adverse effects experienced by the academics from supporting students. This review has found that there is a lack of support from universities for their academics in managing students with MHPs through inadequate training and guidance, due to national policies. Therefore, academics struggle to recognise and manage MHPs in students while experiencing difficulties in managing their own workload and wellbeing. This review recommends that universities should increase their support for academics through training, guidance and accessible support systems.