ArticleEarly intervention in psychiatry2025
Changes in Rates of Special Considerations in Higher Education Applications Pre- and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Victoria, Australia.
Article in Early intervention in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mental health special consideration in Victorian tertiary education applications: geographical, demographic, and socioeconomic inequities in uptake.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mapping the Growth of Individual Placement and Support Services in Norway.International journal of public health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsSince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant rise in mental ill health has been observed globally in young people, particularly those in their final years of secondary school. Students' negative experiences coincide with a critical transitional period which can disrupt milestones in social and educational development. This study aimed to use innovative population-level data to map the impact of the pandemic on students entering higher education.
methodsPre-pandemic (2019/2020) and pandemic (2020/2021) tertiary education application data were obtained from the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre. Prevalence of applications for special consideration related to mental ill health were compared between cohorts across various geographical areas and applicant demographic subgroups. Relative risk regression models were used to understand the role of different risk factors.
resultsRates of mental health-related special consideration applications increased by 38% among all applications (pre-pandemic: 7.8%, n = 56 916; pandemic: 10.8%, n = 58 260). Highest increases were observed among students in areas with both extended and close-quarter lockdown experiences, and areas impacted by 2019/2020 black summer bushfires. The increases were higher among Year 12 students and students with other special consideration needs (e.g., physical condition, learning disability). Slightly higher increases were observed in areas with higher socio-economic status, which may potentially be related to inequality in mental health service access.
conclusionAs consequences of mental health difficulties and academic disruption in youth can be long lasting, it is critical to establish a mental health support framework both in and outside of higher education to facilitate young people's recovery from the pandemic.
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