THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND COUNSELING ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Background: The general wellness and education performance of students is affected by mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression. The two important approaches to combat these problems are counseling services and social support networks. The implementation of structured counseling and social support intervention in this systematic review evaluated their beneficial effects on improving students' mental health outcomes. Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of counseling and social services on mental health among university students. It also includes a comparison of how these treatments differ from each other and how they can complement each other to provide a more comprehensive system of mental health care. Methods: The literature search was exhaustive in nature and conducted across a variety of databases-about research published between 2000 and between 2024. The sources include Google Scholar, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Studies reflected on the effect of counselling and social support upon stress, anxiety, and depression in college students. The quality of the included studies was determined by the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) instrument and findings summarized narratively. Results: The findings indicate that interventions through social support, especially for students having mild to severe mental health issues, are effective in minimizing stress, anxiety, and depression. Long-term improvements regarding serious mental health problems have been achieved through counseling programs like ACT and CBT. Merging these two therapies creates a complete mental wellness management system meeting students’ need, as well as providing a long-term care plan for them. Conclusion: Social interventions and counseling services are indispensable regarding the mental health issues of students. While social support can be acquired quickly, being offered at once and being very accessible, counseling programs should cater to students needing assistance with more serious mental concerns. Therefore, there is a need to mix various interventions into a comprehensive mental health system that addresses both the immediate and long-term needs of students. Such studies down the line might be directed towards finding ways to increase resilience, engagement, and accessibility among university students.