The Swedish government has tasked the Public Health Agency of Sweden with improving mental health among students. SSE has been appointed a key partner in this effort and, during the coming year, will contribute knowledge, methods and educational initiatives through its Center for Wellbeing, Welfare, and Happiness. The collaboration marks an important step in strengthening young people’s wellbeing and supporting broader national efforts to promote wellbeing-driven growth in Sweden.

“Students need to be a priority when it comes to improving mental health. By creating conditions that address the root causes of mental health challenges, universities and society can work together to create lasting change. This partnership creates new opportunities to strengthen this important work,” says Olivia Wigzell, Director General of the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

Nationwide mapping of student wellbeing

The project includes three components. The first phase focuses on mapping students’ mental health and wellbeing across Sweden. The results will be compared with peers who are not in higher education and will analyse how factors such as background, finances, study environment and living conditions affect mental health. Data will be collected in two rounds during 2026 and will form the basis for long-term indicators that universities and public agencies can use to track trends over time.

“Mental health during your studies affects not only how you feel here and now, but can shape your life long after graduation. With better knowledge, universities and policymakers can create environments that help students thrive and perform,” says Micael Dahlen, Professor and Director of the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare, and Happiness.

The second component builds on SSE’s existing student wellbeing panel, which has tracked the impact of student life on wellbeing since 2024. The panel will now be expanded to include more universities. The aim is to better understand how the study environment, mental health and academic performance are connected – and to identify particularly vulnerable or protective phases during a student’s time in higher education. What can universities do proactively and preventively? The panel will run as a pilot project during 2026 and will be analysed on an ongoing basis.

Sharing insights and tools with other universities

The third component focuses on sharing SSE’s insights and experiences with other universities. SSE already offers introductory sessions and courses on happiness and wellbeing. As part of this project, the team will explore how this work can be scaled up and shared – for example, through a new educational package for university leaders and students. This may include lectures, exercises and curricula that can be used across Sweden.

“Universities across the country want to work more systematically with student wellbeing. This project gives us the opportunity to share practical tools and training that can be adapted to different contexts,” says Fredrik Lange, researcher and Executive Director at the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare, and Happiness.

The project is also part of Sweden’s national strategy for mental health and wellbeing, which aims to build a society where everyone has equal opportunities for good mental health. SSE will contribute measurement methods, goals and evaluation strategies that could eventually be applied beyond the higher education sector.

The results from 2026 will be submitted to the Public Health Agency in December the same year and will form part of the agency’s report to the government in February 2027.

For more information, please contact:

Fredrik Lange
Assistant Professor
Executive Director, Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness
Email: fredrik.lange@hhs.se
Phone: +46 70 834 19 85

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