eISSN: 3087-4084 editor@aimjournals.com
All Journals
Submit your article

International Journal of Management and Business Development

Open Access Peer Review International
Open Access

Creating A Culture of Care: Training Student Leaders to Recognize Distress and Respond Effectively

DOI
PDF
Karina Assanova 1 ,
4 Savannah College of Art and Design, Community Director Georgia, Savannah

Abstract

The study is devoted to a critical examination of the escalating crisis of students' psychological well-being in higher education and articulates a comprehensive conceptual framework for the institutionalization of a culture of care. The purpose of the article is to identify theoretical and practical foundations for constructing such a culture through the systematic training of student leaders, in which proactive support models are integrated with programs for developing competencies in recognizing signs of psychological distress. Methodologically, the study draws on a systematic review of academic sources on student well-being, organizational culture, and support mechanisms, as well as on an instrumental case analysis based on the innovative practices of Nova Southeastern University, including the Model of Mindful Interactions. The findings confirm the limitations of traditional reactive approaches to supporting students. The proposed integrative scheme combines a personalized, preventive structure of interactions with targeted training of student leaders in formats such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). It is concluded that the combination of a proactive support architecture and well-developed leader skills ensures earlier detection of distress, promotes the strengthening of well-being, and improves student retention rates. The article is addressed to university administrators, student affairs professionals, and researchers focused on the design and implementation of systemic mechanisms for supporting the student population.

Keywords

culture of care, psychological well-being of students, student leaders, proactive support, distress recognition, mindful interactions, student retention, higher education, Mental Health First Aid, global citizenship

References

The Mental Health of College Students | 2024 Guide | Turnbridge [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.turnbridge.com/news-events/latest-articles/mental-health-college-students/ (Accessed: October 2, 2025).
KEY MENTAL HEALTH IN HIGHER EDUCATION STATS [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Mental-Health-Higher-Ed-Stats.pdf (Accessed: October 2, 2025).
2024 Higher Education Trend Watch [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/higher-education-trend-watch/2024 (Accessed: October 3, 2025).
Gutierrez, C. D. (2021). Breaking the Mold: Supporting Post-Traditional Students. Journal of Student Affairs, New York University, 17, 9-24.
Healthy Minds Study: College student depression, anxiety decline for third consecutive year [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://sph.umich.edu/news/2025posts/college-student-mental-health-third-consecutive-year-improvement.html (Accessed: October 5, 2025).
Pointon-Haas, J., Waqar, L., Upsher, R., Foster, J., Byrom, N., & Oates, J. (2024). A systematic review of peer support interventions for student mental health and well-being in higher education. BJPsych open, 10(1), e12.
Systematic Review | Definition, Example & Guide [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/systematic-review/ (Accessed: October 5, 2025).
What Is a Case Study? | Definition, Examples & Methods [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/case-study/ (Accessed: October 7, 2025).
Magee, D., Francis, K., Randell‐Moon, H., Jakimowicz, S., & Bramble, M. (2025). An Integrative Review of Registered Nurses' Understandings of Organisational Culture and Cultures of Care in the Aged Care Sector. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70200.
Mayfield, M., Mayfield, J., & Walker, R. (2021). Leader communication and follower identity: How leader motivating language shapes organizational identification through cultural knowledge and fit. International Journal of Business Communication, 58(2), 221-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329488420979285.
Parmar, J. S., Mistry, S. K., Micheal, S., Dune, T., Lim, D., Alford, S., & Arora, A. (2025). Peer Support for Improving Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes in Postgraduate Public Health and Health Sciences: A Qualitative Study. Education Sciences, 15(5), 602. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15050602.
Parmar, J. S., Thapa, P., Micheal, S., Dune, T., Lim, D., Alford, S., & Arora, A. (2025). The impact of a peer support program on the social and emotional wellbeing of postgraduate health students during COVID-19: A qualitative study. Education Sciences, 15(3), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030273.
Student mental health is in crisis. Campuses are rethinking their approach [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www-apa-org.translate.goog/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=ru&_x_tr_hl=ru&_x_tr_pto=sc (Accessed: October 5, 2025).
Rathi, G., & Srivastava, A. K. (2024). Organizational culture & employee well being (with special reference to automotive sector). Revista Review Index Journal of Multidisciplinary, 4(1), 55-65. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm2024.v04.n01.007,
Conesa Carpintero, E. (2023). Care, time and gender in new managerial science and academia. From accelerated rhythms to caring temporalities. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). https://hdl.handle.net/10609/148035
Bowden, J. L. H., Tickle, L., & Naumann, K. (2021). The four pillars of tertiary student engagement and success: a holistic measurement approach. Studies in Higher Education, 46(6), 1207-1224. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1672647.
Koul, S., & Nayar, B. (2021). The holistic learning educational ecosystem: A classroom 4.0 perspective. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(1), 98-112. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12271.
What is Proactive Advising in Higher Education? [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://eab.com/higher-education-glossary/proactive-advising-higher-education/ (Accessed: October 7, 2025).
PROACTIVE ADVISING PRACTICE GUIDE: HOW ADVISORS CAN SUPPORT AT-PROMISE STUDENT SUCCESS WITH PROACTIVE ADVISING STRATEGIES [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://pass.pullias.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PASS-Proactive-Advising_final.pdf (Accessed: October 7, 2025).
Martin, G. L., & Seifert, T. A. (2011). The relationship between students' interactions with student affairs professionals and cognitive outcomes in the first year of college. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 48(4), 389-410. https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.6198.
Li, L., Ma, X., Wu, Z., Xie, C., & Li, Y. (2025). Mental health first aid training and assessment for healthcare professionals and medical nursing students: a systematic review. BMC psychology, 13(1), 186. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02519-0.
MHFA is skills-based training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of a mental health or substance use challenge [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://blueprintkentucky.mgcafe.uky.edu/MHFA (Accessed: October 7, 2025).
Liang, MD, M., Chen, MD, Q., Guo, MD, J., Mei, PhD, Z., Wang, MD, J., Zhang, MD, Y., & Li, PhD, Y. (2023). Mental health first aid improves mental health literacy among college students: A meta-analysis. Journal of American college health, 71(4), 1196-1205. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1925286.
Campus Connection Suicide Prevention Training [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://dev.mcla.edu/student-services/counseling-services/suicide-prevention-training.php (Accessed: October 10, 2025).
QPR Institute | Practical and Proven Suicide Prevention Training QPR Institute (en-US) [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://qprinstitute.com/ (Accessed: October 11, 2025).
Choosing a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training Program – A Comparison Table [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://sprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GatekeeperMatrix6-21-18_0.pdf (Accessed: October 11, 2025).
Online Peer Support Specialist from Florida Gulf Coast University [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://careertraining.fgcu.edu/training-programs/peer-support-specialist/ (Accessed: October 12, 2025).
Global Citizenship Learning Outcomes [Electronic resource]. - Access mode: https://www.easternct.edu/global-citizenship/learningoutcomes.html (Accessed: October 12, 2025).

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > >> 

Similar Articles

1-10 of 47

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.