Academic Libraries and Mental Health Resilience: a Systematic Review Informed by Durkheimian Sociology
الشريط الجانبي للمقالة
محتوى المقالة الرئيسي
الملخص
Mental health has become a critical concern in higher education, particularly among university students who face academic stress, social isolation, and emotional instability. Grounded in Émile Durkheim’s sociological theory of anomie, this study explores the potential role of academic libraries as psychosocial support systems that address not only informational needs but also emotional and social challenges. Using a systematic literature review method, this research analyzed 25 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 from Scopus, including empirical studies and conceptual frameworks related to mental health and library supports. Seven implemented mental health programs in academic and public libraries were identified and analyzed using a Program Logic Model framework. The findings demonstrate that libraries can offer impactful interventions such as bibliotherapy, safe spaces, counseling partnerships, and expressive activities that foster emotional well-being, community connection, and student resilience. By synthesizing sociological theory with library practice, this study contributes a multidimensional framework for integrating mental health support into academic library services and highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in program design, implementation, and evaluation.
تفاصيل المقالة
هذا العمل مرخص بموجب Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
كيفية الاقتباس
المراجع
Aird, R. L. (2015). Emile Durkheim and Thomas Luckmann: Religion, post-Christian spirituality and mental health. Dalam The Palgrave handbook of social theory in health, illness and medicine (hlm. 91–106). Springer. DOI 10.1057/9781137355621_6
Alabi, R. (2025). The role of academic libraries in supporting students’ mental health in Nigeria: A review of literature. Journal of Health Information Research, 2(1), 10–19. DOI 10.47524/jhir.v2i1.11
Al-Najdi, S., Mansoor, A., Al Hayk, O., Al-Hashimi, N., Ali, K., & Daud, A. (2025). Silent struggles: a qualitative study exploring mental health challenges of undergraduate healthcare students. BMC medical education, 25(1), 157. DOI 10.1186/s12909-025-06740-8
Atarodi Beimorghi, A., Hariri, N., Babalhavaeji, F. (2018). The wisely services of libraries as the predisposing factors of social health: A grounded theory approach. Journal of Research and Health, 8(2), 132–142. DOI 10.29252/jrh.8.2.132
Barac, M., Scaletty, S., Hassett, L. C., Stillwell, A., Croarkin, P. E., Chauhan, M., ... & Dyrbye, L. N. (2024). Wearable technologies for detecting burnout and well-being in health care professionals: scoping review. Journal of medical Internet research, 26, e50253. https://www.jmir.org/2024/1/e50253
Bladek, M. (2021). Student well-being matters: Academic library support for the whole student. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(3), 102349. DOI 10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102349
Brewster, L., & Cox, A. M. (2023). Taking a ‘whole-university’approach to student mental health: The contribution of academic libraries. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(1), 33-47. DOI 10.1080/07294360.2022.2043249
Burns, E., & Green, K. (2019). Academic Librarians’ Experiences and Perceptions on Mental Illness Stigma and the Workplace. College & Research Libraries, 80(5), 638–657. DOI 10.5860/crl.80.5.638
Cooksy, L. J., Gill, P., & Kelly, P. A. (2001). The program logic model as an integrative framework for a multimethod evaluation. Evaluation and Program Planning, 24(2), 119–128. DOI 10.1016/S0149-7189(01)00003-9
Cox, A. (2020). Library support for student mental health and well-being in the UK. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(6). DOI 10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102256
Durkheim, E. (1973). Emile Durkheim on morality and society. University of Chicago Press. https://books.google.co.id/books=en&lr=&id=Smq0EAAAQBAJ&oi
Dwyer, J. J. M., & Makin, S. (1997). Using a Program Logic Model that Focuses on Performance Measurement to Develop a Program. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 88(6), 421–425. DOI 10.1007/BF03403919
Ecclestone, K. (2014). Vulnerability and wellbeing in educational settings: The implications of a therapeutic approach to social justice. In Rethinking youth wellbeing: Critical perspectives (pp. 35-54). Singapore: Springer Singapore. DOI 10.1007/978-981-287-188-6_3
Forrest, L. U. (2017). Academic Librarians and Student Affairs Professionals: An Ethical Collaboration for Higher Education. Education Libraries, 28(1), 11. DOI 10.26443/el.v28i1.209
Ganes, A. (2024). A scoping review of mental health status in Australian medical students and doctors-in-training (DiT). Health Science Reports, 7(6). DOI 10.1002/hsr2.2214
Golden, T. L. (2022). Generating youth dialogue through the literary arts. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(5), 2515–2529. DOI 10.1002/jcop.22793
Hales, R., & Birdthistle, N. (2023). The sustainable development goal–SDG# 3 good health and well-being. DOI 10.1108/978-1-80455-209-420231001
Henrich, K. (2020). Supporting Student Wellbeing and Holistic Success: A Public Services Approach. International Information and Library Review, 235–243. DOI 10.1080/10572317.2020.1785171
Keesler, J. M. (2025). Addressing tech-health equity with a rural public library telehealth model. Social Work in Mental Health. DOI 10.1080/15332985.2025.2499086
Kołodziej-Sarzyńska, M. (2019). Risk factors of suicide with reference to the theory of social integration by Émile Durkheim. Psychiatria Polska, 53(4), 865–881. DOI 10.12740/PP/92217
Komariah, N. (2022). Role of academic library in creating students’ mental health literacy. Record and Library Journal, 8(1), 109–121. DOI 10.20473/rlj.V8-I1.2022.109-121
Lee, J. H. (2024). Supporting Youth Mental Health through Co-designing a Virtual Reality Experience. Library Quarterly, 94(2), 134–158. DOI 10.1086/729230
Levin, M. E., An, W., Davis, C. H., & Twohig, M. P. (2020). Evaluating acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction self-help books for college student mental health. Mindfulness, 11(5), 1275-1285. DOI 10.1007/s12671-020-01344-3
Liu, Y., Zhao, Y., Zhu, S., Pan, S., Zhang, L., Pan, S., ... & Xie, J. (2025). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of reading therapy for college students' mental health problems in university libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 51(3), 103052. DOI 10.1016/j.acalib.2025.103052
Llewellyn, A. (2019). Innovations in Learning and Teaching in Academic Libraries: A Literature Review. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 25(2–4), 129–149. DOI 10.1080/13614533.2019.1678494
Lowe, E. D. (2017). Rapid societal change and mental health vulnerabilities in the Pacific Basin (hlm. 176). DOI 10.4324/9781315537276-17
Lozano, H. (2022). Libraries as a Mental Health Resource. Public Services Quarterly, 18(1), 65–70. DOI 10.1080/15228959.2021.2015051
McLaughlin, J. A., & Jordan, G. B. (1999). Logic models: A tool for telling your programs performance story. Evaluation and Program Planning, 22(1), 65–72. DOI 10.1016/S0149-7189(98)00042-1
Merga, M. (2020). The importance of you and your school library during the Covid-19 pandemic. Access, Query date: 2021-11-20 00:38:19. DOI 10.3316/informit.353038925055567
Omodan, B. I. (2024). Redefining university infrastructure for the 21st century: An interplay between physical assets and digital evolution. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 8(4), 3468. DOI 10.24294/jipd.v8i4.3468
Rancew-Sikora, D. (2012). Explorations in the social mechanisms of depression. Studia Socjologiczne, 3, 81–104. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dorota-Rancew-Sikora/publication/235954348
Ribeiro, Í. J., Pereira, R., Freire, I. V., de Oliveira, B. G., Casotti, C. A., & Boery, E. N. (2018). Stress and quality of life among university students: A systematic literature review. Health professions education, 4(2), 70-77. DOI 10.1016/j.hpe.2017.03.002
Sagan, O. (2017). Narratives of Loneliness: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from the 21st Century. https://books.google.co.id/books=en&lr=&id=79grDwAAQBAJ&oi
Sánchez, E. (1998). Social support, social integration, and mental health. Revista de Psicologia Social, 13(3), 537–544. DOI 10.1174/0213474987603497
Solomou, S., Logue, J., Reilly, S., & Perez-Algorta, G. (2023). A systematic review of the association of diet quality with the mental health of university students: implications in health education practice. Health Education Research, 38(1), 28-68. DOI 10.1093/her/cyac035