Training programs in the health and social services fields can sometimes be challenging for students, which may lead to mental health issues. These issues can affect their progress in their training. In her research titled “ Well-Being and Mental Health of Red Cross Learners ”, Jean-Luc Rinaudo, professor emeritus of education sciences at the University of Rouen-Normandy, set out to better understand the situation, feelings, and needs of these students. The challenges: developing tailored interventions and enhancing their well-being—an essential prerequisite for their future roles as caregivers or support workers. We asked him a few questions.
In what ways do the well-being and mental health of learners at the French Red Cross constitute a specific area of research?
Jean-Luc Rinaudo: This research is part of a broader context in which students’ mental health and well-being are a cause for concern. About a quarter of them suffer from depression or anxiety.
This topic is all the more relevant for future professionals in the health and social services fields, who will be particularly exposed to psychosocial risks. These people-centered professions come with their own set of challenges. How can you care for someone when you’re not feeling well yourself? How can you avoid exerting control over the people you’re supposed to help—that is, guide toward independence? How can one draw strength from the sense of purpose that comes from helping others, without being overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness in the face of the tragedies one encounters—suffering, death, and the placement of children in care?
As they begin their studies and discover the professional world through internships, students go through a kind of “professional adolescence.” Their expectations and perceptions clash with reality. For some, this discovery is deeply unsettling and calls their career choices into question.
In French Red Cross training programs, these difficulties translate into lower academic performance, students repeating a year, taking breaks from their studies, or dropping out. The goal of this study is therefore to understand this phenomenon and provide trainers with the tools they need to take action.
How did you go about assessing and understanding the challenges students faced?
JLR: Together with three female researchers from my lab—Carine Sanches, Lætitia Audin, and Delphine Guyet—we developed an online survey, which yielded nearly 1,800 complete responses covering 45 French Red Cross sites and 12 regions.
This 128-question survey was designed to provide a comprehensive picture of the students’ lives (sociodemographic profile, daily life, social life, health), to gather their perceptions regarding their education, internships, and professional future, and finally to administer a self-assessment test regarding their anxiety and potential depressive disorders. This initial survey was supplemented by 89 interviews conducted, for the most part, in person with students.
This large sample allows us to identify three profiles: students with a clear career plan, those who are changing directions, and those who made a choice by default, without any certainty. For the latter, the clash with reality is even harder. The others find the strength within their plans to overcome moments of doubt. A phrase heard time and again: “I have to remind myself why I’m here…” The difficulty is accepted as a necessary part of the process.
Among your observations, which ones help us better assess and understand the distress experienced by certain learners?
JLR: Students speak highly of their instructors, whom they describe as caring, trustworthy, and attentive. However, two-thirds of them say they learn more during their clinical rotations than in the classroom. Yet these rotations, while beneficial for learning, also appear to be the main source of distress. Naturally, their first encounters with illness, suffering, and precarious living conditions are shocking. Everyone discovers their own limits: extreme poverty, the world of psychiatry… However, it is their relationships with staff and supervisors that surprise and disappoint students the most. The words are strong: “ The nursing staff treats us like slaves; when you’re an intern, you keep quiet and just put up with it.” ” The experiences described by the students could be explained by a tense institutional environment or by the need for these professionals to perform technical procedures requiring concentration—which would be incompatible with welcoming the intern warmly. In reality, I propose another hypothesis. In patient-centered professions, practitioners are subject to a strict professional code of ethics that formally prohibits mistreating patients. Positioned on the side of the caregivers, interns receive no special consideration and are exposed, as if by symmetry, to treatment that lacks consideration or regard for rules. As temporary members who are not well integrated into the group and who feel rejected or mistreated, they do learn, of course, but often through painful experiences.
How can your research influence training practices and organisation?
JLR: The primary goal of this research is to provide training managers with insights so that they can develop solutions tailored to their own context. The research findings highlight the most significant challenges. For example, trainers were aware that training sessions could be a difficult experience. But not all of them realized that relationships with staff were the main cause. This new awareness can improve the support provided to trainees and enrich the practice-analysis sessions offered to them, allowing them to share their experiences and move beyond difficult feelings.
The instructors were also surprised by their lack of knowledge about the programs designed to support students’ mental health and well-being. More than half of them said they were unaware of the support services available, even though these services do exist at every French Red Cross training center.
Finally, the surveys reveal a troubling decline in students’ quality of life. Courses and internships disrupt their personal activities and social lives. More than two-thirds of students report not engaging in any physical activity, and 60% complain of sleep disturbances. Undoubtedly, instructors must recognize that maintaining a balance between students’ professional and personal lives must also be a priority for them.
About
This research project was initiated by Croix-Rouge Compétence as part of Bénévo’Lab, a research program of the Red Cross Foundation, driven by those who carry out the French Red Cross’s daily operations. The idea is to enable volunteers and staff to find solutions to the challenges they may face in their Red Cross work. The foundation offers them a think tank to support them through tailored research aimed at providing clear and actionable solutions.
Croix-Rouge Compétence is the training division of the French Red Cross. It manages 157 training institutes spread across 60 locations in 12 regions and in overseas territories. It is the only integrated network of health and social care training organizations in France with a presence throughout the entire country. Croix-Rouge Compétence provides training for 30 professions in the health, social services, and occupational health and safety (OHS), offers pre-qualification programs to help individuals who are far from the job market acquire basic knowledge and skills, and supports professionals in the sector as they develop their skills. Across its three training segments, Croix-Rouge Compétence trains more than 1,500 learners in pre-qualification programs each year, nearly 18,000 learners in diploma, certification, or qualification programs, and more than 95,000 trainees in short-term vocational training programs.
Top photo: ©Alex Bonnemaison – Croix-Rouge Compétence Val de Loire Regional Branch
