Making the Grade: Mentors’ Perspectives of a Course-Based, Smart, Healthy Campus Pilot Project for Building Mental Health Resiliency Through Mentorship and Physical Activity

Abstract

The purpose of this academic-year-long pilot study was to explore senior Kinesiology students’ (i.e., ‘mentors’; N = 30) experiences in an undergraduate course focused on building resilience among first-years via physical activity (PA) and mentorship. The psychosocial experiences of mentors were also tracked via qualitative interviews and validated questionnaires at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Inductive content analysis revealed mentors’ perspectives of the program’s positive influence on their PA, resilience, and mental health; and some added stressors. One-way, repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated few statistically significant findings over time regarding participants’ levels of: resilience [F(2, 54) = 8.82 , p < .05]; behavioural control [F(2, 54) = 25.44, p < .05 ]; and positive affect [F(2, 54) = 52.97, p < .05 ]. This pilot program demonstrates promise for future university-based interventions.

Keywords

• Mentor
• Physical Activity
• Mental health
• Resiliency
• University Students