emphasised the role of the Personal Tutors and the Learning Development Tutor in ongoing academic and pastoral support .
Law Student Wellbeing
There is increasing concern about the mental health of young people , and in particular the mental health of university students , who are reporting evergreater levels of psychological distress . A HEPI study of more than 14,000 students found that students are more prone to poorer mental wellbeing than young people between 20-24 in general ( Neves and Hillman , 2018 ). Moreover , there are particular concerns regarding the mental health of Law students , when compared to those studying other undergraduate subjects . Research by Duffy , Field and Shirley ( 2011 : 250 ) revealed that : 35.2 per cent of law students experience high levels of psychological distress . This can be compared with 17.8 per cent of medicine students who experience high levels of psychological distress and 13.3 per cent of people aged between 18 and 34 in the general population .
The research suggests that Law students experience a particular alienation from the personal dimension of their learning experience , that can negatively affect their mental health – and thus their achievement at university and beyond . This is partly due to how Law students are trained to approach legal issues . The LLB degree seeks to develop their logical , analytical , and rational capabilities , as illustrated by programmes such as “ Thinking Like a Lawyer ” ( Jones , 2018 ). Legal education has traditionally tended to emphasise doctrinal content and linear thinking ; worryingly , it also has the effect of promoting ‘ personality traits such as defensiveness , perfectionism and pessimism which can lead to unhappiness ’ ( Duffy , Field and Shirley , 2011 : 250 ). Law students find themselves early on in an adversarial environment , where legal issues are presented as problems , and where students are required to advise or advocate for one side or another .
Tani and Vines ’ comparative study ( 2009 ) of Law and Medicine students highlighted some telling differences between the cohorts . They found a statistically significant prevalence of characteristics ( pp 24-7 ) amongst Law students . For example , they are more likely to be studying Law for external reasons , such as parental influence ; are less likely to find their subject intrinsically interesting ; are more likely to believe that employers look at grades rather than personal or social characteristics ; tend to dislike group work ; are less likely to say that they are at university to learn ; and are more likely to view friendships through the prism of networking and career advancement opportunities . Tani and Vines concluded that such traits ‘ may indeed have a significant impact on law students ’ likelihood of developing depression ’, particularly as ‘ law students may have feelings of less autonomy and less social connectedness than may be optimal for mental health ’ ( p 25 ). Moreover , the competitive nature of Law students is a likely sign of reduced personal autonomy , because it indicates a dependence on external measures for self-evaluation and selfesteem ( p 29 ). Tani and Vines suggest that these factors ‘ may help to explain the disproportionate rate of depression in law students ’ ( p 30 ).
Similarly , Kelk et al ( 2009 ) found a higher level of distress in Law students , who also experienced barriers to recognising and seeking support for these feelings . More recent research conducted by Bleasdale and Humphries ( 2018 ) confirms some key traits found in Law students . Law students were much more likely to compare themselves negatively to others ; they expressed concerns about not being as ‘ smart ’ as other students , and frequently felt ‘ lost ’ because they did not understand as much as everyone else , particularly in the first year . These particular characteristics of Law students , as revealed in the research , led It ’ s OK not to be OK to be part of a suite of provision for Level 4 students , alongside Look After Your Mate and the dedicated academic and pastoral support being provided by the Learning Development Tutor .
Session Design
Session design was grounded in our research ethics ( see above ) and in our desire to give students the experience of a supportive , collaborative , Law School community . We did not want the session to be simply about delivering information ; we wanted to engage our students in wellbeing awareness and to support them in the process . Even the panel discussion was not going to be sufficient to fully engage the students – we wanted them to be able to contribute too . As well as enhancing their
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