FILLING A GAP: Disabled students face increased mental health risks, UWC student researcher finds

Amy-Jean Viljoen learnt as a child that disability is simply a part of life. Now a PhD candidate in the department of psychology at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), she is the lead researcher on a study that puts numbers to a quiet struggle on South African campuses: more than 80% of students with disabilities screened positive for depression.

“From a young age, I was taught about inclusion and the importance of noticing those who were seemingly left out. My father had a colleague who was paralysed from the neck down when I was a child. We were exposed to this, and we included him in our everyday family activities like going to the beach or eating at a restaurant. So disability in my world was never seen as different. It was simply a part of life,” said Viljoen.

Viljoen does not have a disability herself, but said people with disabilities were close to her heart.

“That early experience instilled in me a lifelong respect for students who obviously face these challenges, especially in higher education, because these types of students are often overlooked and excluded… I feel that it’s a calling. It’s a calling to actually advocate for students with disabilities in this way,” she said.

Her own story runs deeper than that

“I struggled a lot in primary school myself. Academically, I struggled very much. I had to do extra lessons. I had to be tutored. There was one point they even said, ‘Look, I don’t think this child is going to be able to matriculate.’ And now, I am pursuing my PhD. So, what I’m saying is I had learning challenges as a child, but it doesn’t define you,” Viljoen explained.

UWC has been her academic home throughout her tertiary studies. She did her internship at the university, where she also tutored, coached and now lectures. The study began as part of a larger PhD project on a UWC-based digital mental health app for all undergraduates, including those with disabilities. She has been pursuing this study for two-and-a-half years (it is ongoing), including roughly a year to secure ethical approval from UWC, Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town.

“We needed the baseline data so that we could do the evaluation work of the mental health status among this population. So, that’s where all of this came from – you can’t do evaluation work when you’re missing the foundation. And that’s why we did this paper,” said Viljoen.

With her supervisor, Prof Anita Padmanabhanunni, the dean of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, she surveyed 229 undergraduates with disabilities at the three universities.

“This was a broad study; we actually encouraged students who maybe never even disclosed [their disability] to participate. Yes, we’re trying to capture the reality, not just the 3% or 2% of campus that... are registered with the disability units,” said Padmanabhanunni.

Key findings

The results are sobering. More than 80% of participants reported depressive symptoms above the screening threshold; 74% screened positive for probable post-traumatic stress disorder; 55% reported high levels of hopelessness; and about 69% experienced loneliness.

Viljoen is careful about what the figures mean, saying the overlap between conditions matters.

“We’re not trying to clinically diagnose anyone with these results. But it does indicate that there’s clinical stress… This comorbidity… places a significant risk for disengagement.”

Students with disabilities that are not immediately visible, such as certain neurodevelopmental conditions, also reported elevated distress.

“There are more students nowadays with invisible disabilities like ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. Unfortunately, many students choose not to register with the disability units, and they then remain undetected and unsupported,” she said.

Padmanabhanunni said the study filled a gap.

“Much existing South African research has focused on the barriers these students face in accessing higher education, obtaining academic accommodations, and fully participating in university life. Far less is known about their psychological wellbeing and the extent to which they experience mental health difficulties.”

She cautioned that the study was not nationally representative, but said it offered important evidence.

“The first practical step I recommend is for universities to conduct a systematic assessment of how well their existing disability and mental health support services meet the needs of students with disabilities… The important question is whether these services are sufficiently accessible, coordinated and responsive to the diversity of students’ experiences,” said Padmanabhanunn.

For her, the work is more than research

“I’m not the expert; they are the experts. And I think for me, it’s such a privilege to capture the truth of what’s going on and to present that to academics in a professional way that’s still advocating. So, for me, this is... my life’s work, but it is also fighting [for change],” Viljoen concluded. DM