Noise has always been a part of life in student accommodation, and something we often write off as being simply part of the student accommodation experience. But should we?
Analysis of GSL Index data for the GSL/CUBO collaborative report, Closing the Gap: the experience of vulnerable students in student accommodation, which focuses on the accommodation experience of students with a disability, students who are neurodivergent, students from an ethnic minority and students who identify as LGBQTI+ highlights that noise is not just an inconvenience for students living in halls. For many vulnerable students, noise, along with relationships has a significant influence on mental health.
The GSL Index incorporates the Mental Health Index – 5 (MHI-5), an internationally recognised methodology for measuring mental health. Respondents are scored on a scale of 0-100, where 100 represents optimum mental health and scores over 60 represent better mental health. This Spring average MHI-5 scores were below 60 for each of our vulnerable groups. MHI-5 scores for students with a disability and students who are neurodivergent were the lowest, with average scores below 50.
A key driver analysis of the extent to which various attributes of accommodation influence the MHI-5 scores of our vulnerable cohorts (Figures 12-15) shows that relationships have the biggest impact on mental health for all cohorts except for students who are neurodivergent for whom study environment and noise have more of an influence (Figure 13).
However, with the exception of students from an ethnic minority, relationships, meeting new people and getting along with others are all areas where students from our vulnerable cohorts are more likely to struggle than their peers. This highlights the importance of continuing to invest in supporting students to build meaningful connections and the need to investigate where current approaches may not be meeting the needs of vulnerable groups.
Perhaps more surprising is that noise appears in the top three attributes of accommodation that impact mental health for each of our vulnerable cohorts, although to a lesser extent for students from an ethnic minority. Noise, an issue that is often dismissed as being part of the student experience, is something that clearly requires a greater focus. For many students, noise levels are the one thing they would change about their accommodation if they had the chance. Student comments highlight large numbers with preferences for quiet accommodation, complaints about noise policies not being enforced and examples of the built environment exacerbating noise issues.
While noise is an issue for all students, noise is a greater concern for students who have a disability and those who are neurodivergent than it is for their peers. This is not surprising given that for some people who are neurodivergent and those with certain medical conditions, lights, sounds, textures, and other sensory features of everyday life can render spaces inaccessible and negatively impact mental health.
While a certain level of noise in communal living spaces is inevitable, provision of quiet floors, and investment in things such as minimising noise as much as possible through building design and materials, soundproofing, and educating staff and students about the impact of noise on students with sensory issues is likely to pay dividends in terms of improved mental health of students, and a better accommodation experience for all students, not just those from our vulnerable cohorts.
Be part of the conversation!
At this year’s GSL Live conference, we will be exploring these issues in further detail. Visit our GSL Live page now to view the agenda.
