Roadmap4StudiBiFra

The "Roadmap4StudiBiFra" project aims to derive recommendations for action and processes as part of a roadmap for the sustainable and counselling-independent use of the Bielefeld questionnaire on study conditions with a focus on the data-supported initiation of processes for the structural improvement of health-relevant study conditions. On the one hand, this includes content-related recommendations on starting points for study structure measures with the aim of reducing the negative consequences of stress by identifying and reorganising relevant mental stress in the study conditions. On the other hand, this includes process-related recommendations for the most successful and practical application of the ratio-oriented student survey as part of a continuous quality improvement cycle, including in the context of the regular implementation of risk assessments of mental stress in study places, with a particular focus on the step of applying the generated data to derive concrete measures ("data for action").

In the 2021-2023 project, surveys were conducted at 13 universities in Germany using the Bielefeld questionnaire on study conditions. The aim now is to build on these results in order to make the survey instrument, which has already been successfully tested, as sustainable as possible in practice in the context of risk assessment of mental stress at study places.

1. What connections exist between the framework and study conditions at universities and the (mental) health of students, taking into account university-specific characteristics?
    
2. How can vulnerable student groups be characterised for whom special preventative measures need to be taken?
    
3. Which thematic blocks can be identified as core elements of the Bielefeld questionnaire based on data, which could form a basis for segmenting future surveys?

The overall project is managed and coordinated by Bielefeld University's Health Management department. Not only can it look back on a long and successful tradition in the field of health - in 1994, for example, Bielefeld University was the first university to define health promotion for employees and students as a central target area of its organisational culture and was awarded the Corporate Health Award in the "Healthy University" category in 2013 for outstanding academic achievements in health management. Since then, Bielefeld University has also repeatedly acted as a driving force for trends and developments in the field of health management at universities.

In addition, Bielefeld University's health management team has already carried out extensive preparatory work for this project, which is now being built upon: The commitment to the topic area of risk assessment of mental stress was sponsored by the Unfallkasse (UK) NRW with third-party funding from 2013 to 2016. The result was the development, testing and validation of a questionnaire adapted to the university context to assess psychosocial stress and resources in the university workplace, as well as the development and initial testing of a university-specific and sustainable procedure for dealing with psychosocial stress and resources in the university workplace. As part of subsequent funding from the DGUV's research funding programme from 2016 to 2019, the instrument was used nationwide and a comprehensive database was established.

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In the current project period, the focus at Bielefeld University is on generating empirical knowledge. To this end, solution-orientated workshops will be held and the data collected will be compiled to develop recommendations for action and processes (roadmap) for the sustainable use of the Bielefeld questionnaire on study conditions. In addition, moderation of the university network and invitations to regular exchange meetings are planned.

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The project management is the responsibility of Zita Deptolla (B.Sc. Sociologist), who has already accompanied the research projects "StudiBiFra" and "Bielefeld Questionnaire on Working Conditions and Health" and can draw on corresponding empirical knowledge. She has a degree in sociology from a university with a focus on the sociology of work and organisation and has extensive expertise in the specifics of the university environment. Through her involvement in the university networks for the Bielefeld questionnaires and at relevant symposia, among other things, she is an established contact person in this context, which is of central importance for the successful implementation of the project in terms of further cooperation with the universities.

In addition, the coordinator of health management, Julia Burian (M.Sc. Psychologist), who draws on extensive experience from the project management of the current research project "StudiBiFra", provides support. As an occupational and organisational psychologist and solution-focused consultant and through her many years of previous work in the research projects on the Bielefeld questionnaire for employees at universities sponsored by the UK NRW and the DGUV, among others, she brings with her sound practical experience, which she can draw on when supervising the further development of the questionnaire and advising and networking universities.

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The persons to contact at Bielefeld University can be reached at fragebogen-studierende@uni-bielefeld.de.

 

The IGPW of Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of the leading medical Faculties in Europe and a member of the Berlin University Alliance and recognised as a University of Excellence, is responsible for the scientific coordination of the project. Prof Dr Christiane Stock and Dr Katherina Heinrichs will contribute their expertise in terms of content and research methodology to this project. Both researchers have been active in the field of student health and health promotion in the university setting for many years, have already realised a large number of important projects in this area and thus contribute broad research experience in the field of conducting surveys, the (statistical) analysis of qualitative and quantitative research data as well as in the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions in the university setting. In addition, Jennifer Lehnchen and Laura Pilz González, as health scientists, implement the focal points located at Charite Berlin and are the contact persons for, among other things, the further statistical analyses of the extensive data set generated in the "StudiBi-Fra" project.

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The cooperation partners at Charité Berlin are primarily responsible for generating relevant qualitative and quantitative research data as a basis for developing the roadmap for the sustainable use of the Bielefeld questionnaire on study conditions.

For the qualitative data collection, guided, semi-structured individual interviews are planned with staff people (including students) who are involved in the survey on the risk assessment of mental stress at study places as part of the "StudiBiFra" project and/or in the initiation of further processes for the prevention of (mental) health hazards at study places.

For the quantitative analysis, statistical analyses of the extensive data set generated in the "StudiBiFra" project will be carried out. University characteristics that were recorded in the structural questionnaire of the universities surveyed, such as university type (including University of Applied Sciences vs. university, campus university vs. various locations), university size and the extent to which ratio prevention has already been implemented, will be analysed both as predictors of students'
health and as possible effect modifiers of the correlations between study conditions and health.

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Further information will follow shortly.