“And this is where my mind is”: Space, place and ‘student mental health and wellbeing’ (SMHWB) in the UK

Declining ‘Student Mental Health and Wellbeing’ (SMHWB) remains a concern in UK Higher Education (UKHE); within this the space(s)/place(s)-SMHWB nexus is underexplored. This underappreciation is in large part fuelled by sectoral neoliberal emphases and methodological imbalances; obscured remain valuable qualitative insights. This article discusses spatial aspects arising from a project exploring SMHWB experiences. Informed by a research lens comprising of perspectives drawn from The Power Threat Meaning Framework, the sociology of emotions and emotional geographies, (alongside a researcher ‘living experience’), Free Association Narrative interviews, fronted by a Social Media Elicitation reflection task, were conducted with 21 UK undergraduates. Generated via Reflexive Thematic Analysis was qualitative insight into students’ space-/place-related mental health associations/labels; needs/wants to ‘feel at home’; desires for personal spatial control, and meaning-making in experiences of university (support) spaces. Such important contextual details provide crucial information to enhance understanding of (the spatial (narrative and framing) emotionalities of current) SMHWB.