New MetLife Research shows two out of three students would value protection policies offering counselling services.

In September 2019, parents waved goodbye to more than 400,000 students¹ as they started university. It’s an exciting time but can also be stressful.

Research² among students shows that 87.5% say they struggle with feelings of anxiety, almost two out of five (42.8%) say they are often or always worried and one in three (33%) report suffering from loneliness.

Concerns about mental health issues among students are rising and there are also worries about dropout rates. A critical factor in tackling mental health issues is timely access to support services – maximum waiting times on the NHS³ are 18 weeks and data⁴ from universities shows students are waiting up to three months to start counselling on campus. Around one in four universities have cut or frozen their mental health budgets.

This is where support services provided through protection policies can prove invaluable. In fact, new research⁵ for MetLife UK reveals that around two thirds of 18 to 24-year-olds would value policies which provide counselling services.

MetLife’s MultiProtect policy enables policyholders to cover children in full-time education up to the age of 23 and gives free access, 24/7 to its Wellbeing Support Centre which provides emotional and practical support, including telephone support services.

Richard Horner, Head of Individual Protection, MetLife UK said: “Starting university is an exciting time but can be stressful for students as they settle in and need to take responsibility for what most will have relied on their parents for.”

“Being able to access free expert independent advice can help students adapt and enjoy life at university.  At its core, MetLife’s MultiProtect provides cover for  everyday risks such as broken bones – important peace of mind for sports-minded students as the football and rugby seasons begin.”

If you are interested in finding out more, please visit www.metlife.co.uk/multiprotect or please call the team on 0800 917 2221.

^{1 https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/statistical-releases-daily-clearing-analysis-2019}

^{2 https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/05/levels-of-distress-and-illness-among-students-in-uk-alarmingly-high} 

^{3https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/how-to-access-mental-health-services/#waitingtimes}

^{4 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/16/uk-students-waiting-up-to-three-months-for-mental-health-care}

^{5 Research carried out by Consumer Intelligence using an online methodology to question 1,064 working adults aged 18-plus between March 26th and March 27th 2019}