A scoping review to map the research on the mental health of students and graduates during their university-to-work transitions.

OBJECTIVES: This scoping review maps the extant literature on students' and graduates' mental health experiences throughout their university-to-work transitions. The current review investigates the methodological features of the studies, the main findings, and the theories that the studies draw on to conceptualise mental health and transitions. DESIGN: This project used a scoping review methodology created and developed by Peters and colleagues and the Joanna Briggs Institute. The review searched academic databases and screened existing studies that met predetermined inclusion criteria. DATA SOURCES: Seven academic databases and Google Scholar were searched with sets of search terms. ELIGIBILITY: The included studies examined participants who were final-year university students or those who had graduated from university within a 3-year period. Studies published in English since 2000 and from any country were included. The review included studies examining the negative dimensions of mental health. The review excluded studies focusing on medical students and graduates. DATA EXTRACTION: Basic information about the studies and their findings on mental health and university-to-work transitions was retrieved. The findings are presented in tables and in a qualitative thematic summary. RESULTS: The scoping review included 12 studies. Mental health was often not explicitly defined and it's theoretical foundations were not clearly articulated. The review identified factors, including a lack of social support and economic precarity, as sources of adverse mental health. Other protective factors in these studies-variables that guard against mental health problems-were identified, such as career preparedness and having a good job. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the methodological focus on the negative aspects of mental health, people's mental health experiences during university-to-work transitions are not uniformly negative. Clear conceptualisations of mental health in future studies will aid in developing resources to improve well-being. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This scoping review adhered to a protocol previously published in this journal and that is registered on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/gw86x).

Mental health of new and recent graduates during the university-to-work transition: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: University students face challenges when starting their careers and entering the workforce after tertiary education is associated with negative psychological outcomes. The planned scoping review will synthesise the literature on the impact of university-to-work transitions on the mental health of new and recent graduates. We will describe the characteristics and main findings of the studies, and will examine the variables associated with, and the theories used to explain, the relationship between transitions to work and graduates' mental health. METHODS: We will search the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PSYCINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index, CINAHL Plus, Ovid MEDLINE and Google Scholar, to locate published and unpublished literature. The included studies will focus on undergraduate and postgraduate university students during planned or current university-to-work transitions, as well as early-career workers. We will include studies involving people who have left or are in their final year of study, are undergoing career transition preparation or have worked for no longer than 3 years since graduation. Studies from all countries, those published in English and since 2000, will be included. We will use a set of predefined search terms and we will extract studies using the EndNote V.20 reference management software. Two reviewers will screen and assess the identified studies using the Covidence software. Finally, we will present the data in a summary table and will qualitatively analyse the studies using thematic analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Our scoping review does not require ethical approval. The scoping review's findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations, and will inform the development of training resources for different stakeholders as part of a wider research project. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study has been registered with the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/gw86x).