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Higher education students need help and support to enable them to cope with the challenges of their studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of first-year undergraduate students on predictors of psychosocial support in challenging situations. A creative art-based descriptive research design was employed utilising an individual One-Page Profile form to gather data from 240 first-year students from two different universities in Slovakia. Data was collected and analysed using a content-thematic and visual approach. Four significant individual predictors of psychosocial support were identified: emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal. Emotional support consists of desirable mental health, defined by the students as experiencing happiness, self-satisfaction, self-development, relationships which are satisfying, loving and safe, trust, empathic acceptance, and care from others. Instrumental support varies from personnel up to material resources e.g., people, animals, and assistance such as financial services. The preferred informational support is peer-to-peer counselling, followed by professional counselling. When students describe appraisal support their needs are primarily in the areas of well-being and self-efficacy. The study makes various suggestions on how University staff can provide first-year students with support and counselling in their everyday challenges.

Welfare technology has made a significant impact on society, supporting people´s communication, independence, and day-to-day living. This study aims to investigate university students' knowledge of welfare technologies related to smart active aging. The research was guided by the following questions: 1: What do Slovak university students know about welfare technologies? 2: How are welfare technologies used in the households of university students and their relatives? An online interview survey with reflexive thematic analysis was conducted with 120 university students at two universities in Slovakia. Findings show four themes that were identified: (1) Different interpretations of welfare technologies. (2) Broadening students’ knowledge about welfare smart technologies. (3) Attitudes towards smart and welfare technologies. (4) Gap in practical usage of welfare technologies. Welfare technology is a new topic connected to active aging. Primarily, the younger generation, as proved, has low knowledge on this theme. The novelty of the study lies in connecting the welfare technology concept with the education of the younger generation. Welfare technologies have the potential to promote positive intergenerational relationships, autonomy, and mental and physical well-being among older adults. As for improvements, smart active aging and welfare technology concepts should be incorporated more intensively into higher education. This would help curb the knowledge gap and ensure the development of skills for implementing welfare technologies in the daily lives of their elderly relatives. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-03-017 Full Text: PDF