No ‘one size fits all’: customization proves crucial for students’ mental health
Research by health scientist Gabriela Cortez Vázquez shows that personalization is the right approach for soft skills programs. Further future research can possible help reduce stress and dropout rates in higher education, but only under the right conditions.
Half of students struggle with mental health issues
Approximately one in two students in the Netherlands experiences mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Particularly during the transition to higher education—a defining phase of life—these issues can have major and long-lasting consequences. Yet the emphasis is still often on treatment, while prevention remains underexposed.
Cortez Vázquez points to a key element: strengthening so-called soft skills, such as managing stress, communicating effectively, and critical thinking. Students who master these skills better prove to be more mentally resilient, perform better, and hold a stronger position in the labor market. Three layers of support tested
To bridge that gap, Cortez Vázquez investigated an innovative approach with three levels of guidance: a broad workshop focused on self-reflection, intensive training in social-emotional skills, and individual stress management sessions including virtual reality and breathing techniques.
“The outcome is clear: there is no standard program that works for everyone. Students differ in background, motivation, and needs, and those differences largely determine the success of an intervention,” says Cortez Vázquez.
Voluntary participation and guidance make the difference
One of the most striking findings is that the context is at least as important as the content. Students who participate voluntarily get significantly more out of the programs than students who feel obligated. In addition, the role of the supervisor plays a key part: a safe learning environment proves essential for actually developing skills. It also appears that one-off workshops have hardly any effect in the long term. Sustainable development requires repetition, practice, and continuous guidance. From standalone training to structural education
Universities face the challenge of structurally improving student well-being, and this research makes it clear that isolated initiatives are insufficient. Soft skills must be systematically integrated into the curriculum, with room for customization and freedom of choice. That movement has already begun. For instance, the insights from the research have been incorporated into the revamped Bachelor of Health Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where soft skills are now embedded in the curriculum over several years.
Not a miracle cure, but an important step
However, Cortez Vázquez adds an important caveat: soft skills alone do not solve the problem. Factors such as financial pressure, loneliness, and inequality also play a major role in student well-being and call for broader societal solutions. Her conclusion: “Investing in soft skills can be a powerful tool to make students more resilient, but only if education is willing to address that development seriously, structurally, and in a tailored manner.”
More information on the thesis
