Racism as a social determinant of mental health in higher education: sector-level perspectives from South Africa and Australia

High levels of mental ill-health occur in universities and other institutions of higher education. Considerable numbers of students report anxiety (29%) and stress (23%), and nearly two-thirds of staff report either possible or probable depression. While many universities worldwide are making efforts to improve student and staff mental health, their approaches focus largely on changing lifestyle factors at the individual level. However, mental health is also influenced by large-scale social and structural factors — such as racism. In this editorial, we argue that universities and higher education sectors should address racism as a social determinant of mental health. We support our argument with sector-level perspectives from two distinct regions: South Africa and Australia.