Abstract:
University students confront escalating mental health challenges within higher education
environments marked by intense academic pressures, financial instability, and cultural expectations of
resilience. This paper offers a sociological exploration of "Stigma, Structure, and Support," arguing that
mental health issues are not merely individual concerns but products of institutional structures,
pervasive stigma, and uneven support systems. It examines how neoliberal university cultures—
characterized by performative productivity, hierarchical power dynamics, and commodified wellbeing—
exacerbate distress, particularly among marginalized students facing intersecting inequalities
of class, race, gender, and ability.
Central to the analysis is the role of stigma in discouraging help-seeking behaviors, fostering identity
conflicts, and perpetuating silence around vulnerability. The theoretical framework integrates
sociological perspectives on social structure, cultural reproduction, and agency, illuminating pathways
from structural barriers to personal experiences. Student-led advocacy emerges as a counterforce,
challenging institutional inertia and advocating for holistic support. Ultimately, the paper calls for
systemic reforms to destigmatize mental health, redistribute resources equitably, and embed solidarity
in university life, promoting mental well-being as a collective responsibility
