Enhancing emotional self-regulation through peer counselling: Insights from health science students
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Background. Globally, undergraduate students face challenges, such as anxiety, that affect academic success. This is a major cause for concern, especially among health science students. The present study aligns with existing research on academic anxiety in higher education. Using Gross’s Process Model on Emotional Self-Regulation (tPMER) as a theoretical framework, the study aims to investigate the role of peer counselling in promoting emotional self-regulation (ESR) among health science students, specifically to address academic anxiety.
Method. Against the background of a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, 32 second-year health science students at a multi-campus South African university voluntarily consented to participate in the qualitative study. Ethics approval was obtained after which data were collected during a series of online workshops using open-ended questions and group discussions. ATLAS.ti 9 was used for the thematic analysis of data.
Results. Maladaptive strategies, such as avoidance behaviour and procrastination, came to light as participants identified the sources of anxiety owing to academic demands. Although perceptions about ESR varied, the effectiveness of peer counselling sessions ranked among the most important because participants viewed ESR strategies as beneficial for anxiety reduction. This research highlights the prevalence of anxiety among health science students and the significance of ESR. In addition, peer counselling is discussed as a valuable tool in promoting ESR and effective anxiety management, while further investigation into the use of peer counselling structures in undergraduate health education is recommended to promote support for students’ emotional well-being.
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