Authors
Karine Bilodeau, Christiane Bergeron-Leclerc, Sébastien Gaboury, Marie-Laurence Blackburn, Sophie Dutil, Carole-Anne Tremblay, Florentin Thullier, Jacques Cherblanc, Martin Lavallière, Linda Paquette, Fatoumata Diadiou, Marie-Ève Langelier
Published in
Journal of American college health : J of ACH. Pages 1-11. Aug 20, 2026. Epub Aug 20, 2026.
Abstract
Objective: Universities face psychological distress, while mental health services remain inaccessible to marginalised populations. This highlights the need for low-threshold mental health interventions beyond clinical care. Wellness rooms offer spaces for stress reduction, yet few have been developed through participatory approaches or evaluated systematically. This study documents the co-design and restricted implementation of an inclusive, multisensory wellness room in a Canadian university. Participants: University students and staff participated in the co-design and implementation process. Methods: Guided by Living Lab and action-research principles, the project was conducted in two phases using a mixed-methods design. Analyses examined feasibility, acceptability, facilitators, and barriers to implementation and use. Results: Facilitators included multisensory environments, flexible usage, and participatory design. Implementation challenges highlighted organizational and contextual constraints affecting accessibility and sustainability. Conclusions: Findings support wellness rooms as low-threshold mental health promotion interventions and underscore the importance of participatory, context-sensitive approaches to their implementation in university settings.
PMID:
42625402
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Aug 2026.
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