3. Regional Australia
• 36% of Australians live outside capital city statistical
divisions and 31% live outside major cities.
• Despite common misconceptions, the population of
regional Australia is rising. The Australian Bureau of
Statistics projects that the population outside capital
cities will grow by 26% between 2007 and 2026.
• Regional economies are based on a diversity of industry
sectors, with the majority of employment concentrated
in the services, health, education and infrastructure
sectors.
4. Regional Australia
• Regional Australia is the major source of
Australia’s export earnings, with the agricultural
and resources sectors representing over 60% of
the value of Australia’s exports in 2009-10.
• Regional Australia plays a critical role in the
Australian tourism industry, which makes a direct
contribution to Australia’s GDP of $34 billion.
Regional areas account for around 55% of
domestic visitor expenditure and almost 20% of
international visitor expenditure.
5. Regional Higher Education
• There is a significant differential in higher
education attainment between city and regional
Australians, with the differential increasing with
distance from a major city.
• In 2006, 27% of people aged 25-64 who lived in
major cities held a Bachelor degree or above. This
figure declined to 15% for Australians living in
inner regional areas, to 13% for outer regional
areas and down to only 10% for very remote
areas.
6. Regional Higher Education
• Parents in less geographically accessible regions
have relatively low expectations for their
children’s future education levels, when
compared to parents in major cities.
• Young people in regional Australia continue to
be less likely to aspire to a higher education.
While 63% of young people in metropolitan areas
intend to enrol in higher education, only 39% in
provincial areas and 32% in remote areas intend
to do so.
7. Regional Students
• Regional universities represent the only choice for many
regional students who do not have the mobility to study
elsewhere.
• Many regional universities are major providers of distance
education
• Students who study in regional areas tend to remain in
regional areas after graduation and provide a ready supply
of professionals to fill critical regional roles
• Students who leave regional areas to study in an urban
institution are unlikely to return
8. Regional Universities Network (RUN)
• The Regional Universities Network (RUN) is a
network of six universities with headquarters in
regional Australia and a shared commitment to
playing a transformative role in their regions.
• The Network was established in October 2011.
The foundation members are CQ University,
Southern Cross University, University of Ballarat,
University of New England, University of
Southern Queensland and University of the
Sunshine Coast.
9. Regional Universities Network (RUN)
RUN study details universities’ massive regional
impact
The Regional Universities Network (RUN) has
released a regional impact study which showed the
six RUN universities contribute a total of $3 billion
($2.1 billion in gross domestic product; $1.2 billion
in household income) and provided more than
14,000 (FTE) jobs.
10. Regional Universities Network (RUN)
• The members of the RUN deliver educational
programs across regional Australia, the nation
and internationally to over 110,000 students each
year, including over 45,000 students studying
externally.
• RUN train over 2,200 higher degree by research
candidates each year and conduct world standard
research that matters to regional communities
11. Regional Universities Network (RUN)
Total Student Load 60,186
• Domestic 43,667
• Overseas 16,518
• Indigenous 1,247 Low SES (postcode
measure) 16,129
• Low SES (census collection district measure)
14,865
• Regional & remote 30,537
12. Southern Cross University
• Over 15,000 students were enrolled in SCU courses
taught through onshore and offshore campuses and
external studies
• Over half of SCU students are aged under 25 years with
the ratio of female to male students averaging 3:2
• The average number of hours worked in paid
employment was 19 for full time students and 35 for part
time students
• ATSI – 1.9%
• Disability – 3.1%
• Low SES – 25%
13. Research
Dr Ann Mulder
Stress in SCU students: Implications of an Emotional and/or
Behavioural disorder (EBD)
Attrition of SCU students: Implications of a disability
SCU Community (Students & Staff) Health and Wellbeing Study
14. Stress in SCU students:
Implications of an Emotional and/or Behavioural disorder
(EBD)
Generalized anxiety, Depression, Bipolar disorder, Autism
(under review with the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry)
15. Stress in SCU students:
Implications of an Emotional and/or Behavioural disorder (EBD)
Introduction
• Governments encourage increased participation rates at university
• BUT students have higher levels of stress than the general population
– A 2010 study Stallman found that university students had significantly higher
levels of psychological distress than the general Australian population
16. Stress in SCU students: Implications of an EBD
Question
• In an environment of high stress:
• Do students with an EBD:
– generalized anxiety
– Depression
– bipolar disorder
– autism
even when medicated,
exhibit higher levels of stress than students without
an EBD ?
17. Stress in SCU students: Implications of an EBD
Methodology
• Kessler-10, Perceived Stress Scale, Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory,
• Salivary cortisol, DHEA, alpha-amylase, secretory-IgA, C-reactive protein
and interleukin-1β.
• Heart rate, and blood pressure
EBD group
N=22
Control group
N=22
Commencement
Session 2
Mid
Session 2
Completion
Session 2
18. Stress in SCU students: Implications of an EBD
Results
• In the EBD group:
– Increased psychological distress; Kessler-10, Perceived Stress
Scale, State and Trait Anxiety (all p< .001)
– Definite increase in psychological stress in the EBD group
T im e
Kessler-10Score
1 2 3
0
1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
5 0 E B D g r o u p
C o n tr o l g r o u p* * *
* * *
A
T im e
PerceivedStressScaleScore
0 1 2 3
0
1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
* * *
B
*
T im e
StateAnxietyScore
0 1 2 3
0
2 0
4 0
6 0
8 0
*
C
* * * *
T im e
TraitAnxietyScore
0 1 2 3
0
2 0
4 0
6 0
8 0
* * *
* *
D
*
19. Stress in SCU students: Implications of an EBD
Results
• The level of psychological distress in the EBD students increased
from 7 x the general population (22%) to 15 x the population (44%)
20. Stress in SCU students: Implications of an EBD
Results
• In the EBD group:
– significantly higher heart rate (p=.011)
– trends towards higher levels of cortisol, cortisol:DHEA ratio,
blood pressure and BMI
– lower levels of DHEA and sIgA secretion rate for the EBD group
– Suggestive of increased physiological stress in the EBD group
21. • Therefore students with an EBD exhibit increased
psychological distress and physiological stress
compared to students without an EBD
• Is this reflected in attrition or completion rates ?
• Attrition rates of students with an EBD was
unavailable.
• However attrition and completion rates of
students with a disability was available.
22. Attrition of SCU students:
Implications of a disability
Hearing, Vision, Physical, Mental Health, Autism, ADHD,
Speech, Learning Disorder
23. Attrition of SCU students:
Implications of a disability
• 1,240 SCU students (2009-2012) had a disability
– 440 received support from Student Health Services (disability or counselling)
– 800 of these did not ask for support
NO
SUPPORT
65%
SUPPPORT
35%
SCU students with a disability
24. Attrition of SCU students:
Implications of a disability
• Conclusion
– Support from Student Health Services is essential for
decreasing attrition rate and increasing completion rate in
students with disability
30. Conclusions
• Universities are places of HIGH stress
particularly for students but also staff
• If governments are going to encourage
higher participation and broaden the
access agenda more support and
funding needs to be given to university
Health Services
• Student access without well-resourced
and targeted support may come at a
great cost both to the individuals and
country in terms of future burden of
illness and productivity.
31. These projects have developed collaborations
between:
• School of Health & Human Sciences
– Dr Ann Mulder
– Prof Andrew Cashin
– Dr Joanne Bradbury
– Prof Garry Egger
– Dr Michelle Donelly
• Student Health Services
– Dr Jonathan Munro – counselling
– Mr Geoff Kershaw – disability
– Ms Shelley Odewahn – disability
• Office of the Pro-VC Academic
– Prof Andrew McAuley
• Technology Services
– Ms Naomi Downs
• Student Services
– Ms Fiona Wright
– Ms Alison Graham
– Mr Paul Robinson
