BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:PhD defence G.G. Cortez Vazquez METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20260508T114500 DTEND:20260508T131500 DTSTAMP:20260508T114500 UID:phd-defence-g-g-cortez-vazquez@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260925T161218 LOCATION:Main building VU, 1105, Aula, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV, Amsterdam SUMMARY:PhD defence G.G. Cortez Vazquez X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Crucial yet Overlook ed?

No ‘one size fits all’: customization pro ves crucial for students’ mental health

Half of stud ents struggle with mental health issues

Approximately one in two students in the Netherlands experiences mental health prob lems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Particularly during th e transition to higher education—a defining phase of life—these i ssues 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 posit ion in the labor market. Three layers of support tested

To brid ge that gap, Cortez Vázquez investigated an innovative approach with three levels of guidance: a broad workshop focused on self-reflectio n, intensive training in social-emotional skills, and individual stre ss management sessions including virtual reality and breathing techni ques.

“The outcome is clear: there is no standard program tha t works for everyone. Students differ in background, motivation, and needs, and those differences largely determine the success of an inte rvention,” says Cortez Vázquez.

Voluntary participat ion and guidance make the difference

One of the most s triking 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, th e role of the supervisor plays a key part: a safe learning environmen t proves essential for actually developing skills. It also appears th at one-off workshops have hardly any effect in the long term. Sustain able development requires repetition, practice, and continuous guidan ce. From standalone training to structural education

Universiti es face the challenge of structurally improving student well-being, a nd this research makes it clear that isolated initiatives are insuffi cient. Soft skills must be systematically integrated into the curricu lum, 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 V rije Universiteit Amsterdam, where soft skills are now embedded in th e curriculum over several years.

Not a miracle cure, bu t an important step

However, Cortez Vázquez adds an i mportant caveat: soft skills alone do not solve the problem. Factors such as financial pressure, loneliness, and inequality also play a ma jor role in student well-being and call for broader societal solution s. 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

< /html> DESCRIPTION: Crucial yet Overlooked?

No ‘one size fits a ll’: 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 issuesApproxi mately one in two students in the Netherlands experiences mental heal th problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Particularly du ring the transition to higher education—a defining phase of life— these issues can have major and long-lasting consequences. Yet the em phasis is still often on treatment, while prevention remains underexp osed.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 posit ion in the labor market. Three layers of support testedTo bridge that gap, Cortez Vázquez investigated an innovative approach with three levels of guidance: a broad workshop focused on self-reflection, inte nsive training in social-emotional skills, and individual stress mana gement sessions including virtual reality and breathing techniques.� �The outcome is clear: there is no standard program that works for ev eryone. Students differ in background, motivation, and needs, and tho se differences largely determine the success of an intervention,” s ays Cortez Vázquez.Voluntary participation and guidance make the differenceOne of the most striking findings is that the context is at least as important as the content. Students who partic ipate voluntarily get significantly more out of the programs than stu dents who feel obligated. In addition, the role of the supervisor pla ys a key part: a safe learning environment proves essential for actua lly developing skills. It also appears that one-off workshops have ha rdly any effect in the long term. Sustainable development requires re petition, practice, and continuous guidance. From standalone training to structural educationUniversities face the challenge of structural ly improving student well-being, and this research makes it clear tha t isolated initiatives are insufficient. Soft skills must be systemat ically integrated into the curriculum, with room for customization an d freedom of choice. That movement has already begun. For instance, t he insights from the research have been incorporated into the revampe d 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 stepHowever, Corte z Vázquez adds an important caveat: soft skills alone do not solve t he problem. Factors such as financial pressure, loneliness, and inequ ality also play a major role in student well-being and call for broad er societal solutions. Her conclusion: “Investing in soft skills ca n be a powerful tool to make students more resilient, but only if edu cation is willing to address that development seriously, structurally , and in a tailored manner.”More information on the thesis END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR