Transdisciplinary reflections for assessing the mental well-being of university undergraduates within the African context for sustainable problem-solving

Abstract

Collaboration is the currency of the 21st century. It is becoming increasingly obvious that collective efforts are required for addressing contemporary problems. This is especially underscored for multifactorial problems like mental health problems. The heart of research is problem-solving. A transdisciplinary approach is a sine qua non for sustainable problem-solving in mental health research. The aim of this study was to understand the concept of mental well-being through the lens of experts in the field and to explore how it can be effectively measured in the African context, particularly among university undergraduates. The study was designed as action research and carefully deployed using a transdisciplinary research model. Experts in behavioural psychology, clinical psychology, educational psychology, medical research, educational sociology, and educational measurement were contacted, and a one-on-one interview session was scheduled with 13 consultants who consented to participate in the study via Doodle. The collected data were subjected to the analytical framework approach, which falls within a broad family of analysis methods also termed thematic analysis or qualitative content analysis. Through this approach, the data were systematically reduced to a meaningful form using jointly agreed-upon codes and quotes on mental health assessment, as supported by the literature and the World Health Organisation. Findings from the exercise unanimously revealed that the mental well-being of university undergraduates is a multidimensional construct comprising coping strategies, potential realisation, academic productivity, social interaction, school-life balance, emotional stability, healthy living, and belief systems, all of which must be considered for effective measurement. This transdisciplinary method is hoped to create a novel path for researchers by merging various forms of knowledge and closing gaps in school mental health constructs. Understanding how experts view mental health is a relevant step for sustainable problem-solving among undergraduates in Africa.