Out-of-Box Experience: How World Universities Contribute to the Psychological Well-Being of Urban Residents
https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2025-34-11-54-80
Abstract
The purpose of universities in the 21st century is not only to provide quality education and research but also to activate knowledge, teaching and practice for the public good. Models of educational institutions, built on reciprocal knowledge transfer, give way to new models that focus on transformational partnerships with social institutions and communities. This article presents an overview of the practices of leading global universities in the field of promoting psychological wellbeing. The analysis is based on publicly available data from 102 universities included in the University Impact Rankings 2024. In 97 of them, 282 practices aimed at supporting psychological well-being were identified and described. These practices cover a wide range of initiatives from clinical services to educational and social projects, and are deeply integrated into the educational and research activities of universities. The article presents the results of quantitative and qualitative analysis of four groups of practices – psychological assistance and support, information and educational projects, social initiatives and other types of well-being support, according to 127 indicators, structured by groups of organizational conditions, content and positioning of practices inside/outside the university, including invariant types (level, duration, goals, topics, attraction mechanism, awards). The results show that universities systematically contribute to improving the quality of life and solving socially significant problems of populations and university communities. When comparing foreign practices with domestic experience, differences were identified due to the commercial nature of foreign education, local rootedness of practices, greater development and diversity of practices of direct psychological support.
About the Authors
E. V. Nekhorosheva
Moscow City University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Elena V. Nekhorosheva – Cand. Sci. (Pedagogy), Head of the Laboratory of Urban Health and Wellbeing, the Research Institute of Urban Studies and Global Education
Researcher ID: JFS-6237-2023
4 Vtoroy Selskohoziajstvenny proezd, Moscow, 129226
S. N. Vachkova
Moscow City University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Svetlana N. Vachkova – Dr. Sci. (Pedagogy), Director of the Research Institute of Urban Studies and Global Education
Researcher ID: ABD-1074-2020
4 Vtoroy Selskohoziajstvenny proezd, Moscow, 129226
D. A. Kasatkina
Moscow City University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Daria A. Kasatkina – Cand. Sci. (Psychology), research associate of the Laboratory of Urban Health and Wellbeing, the Research Institute of Urban Studies and Global Education
Researcher ID: KWT-8987-2024
4 Vtoroy Selskohoziajstvenny proezd, Moscow, 129226
E. S. Enchikova
University of Porto
Portugal
Portugal
Ekaterina S. Enchikova – Ph.D. (Education), Research Fellow at the Center for Educational Research and Interventions, Faculty of Psychology and Education
Researcher ID: I-3350-2015
Rua Alfredo Allen, Porto, 4200-135
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