The Price of Persistence: Investigating the Impact of Pursuing Engineering on Undergraduate Student Mental Health

Brooke Coley, Madeleine Jennings

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

This work in progress research paper presents an investigation of mental health statuses of undergraduate engineering students. The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes stress, anxiety and depression to be foundational elements of more severe mental health problems and among notable public health concerns for institutes of higher education. Additionally, underrepresentation alone has been shown to have a negative impact on mental health, with recent studies linking impostorism to higher psychological distress and lower self-esteem across a sample of multiethnic undergraduates. This pilot study seeks to gain an understanding of the cost of persistence in engineering through the lens of students' self-reported measures of anxiety and depression. Preliminary results reveal a prevalence of clinically significant mental health conditions among diverse engineering undergraduates, which suggests the need for further investigation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2019
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
ISBN (Electronic)9781728117461
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2019
Event49th IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2019 - Covington, United States
Duration: Oct 16 2019Oct 19 2019

Publication series

NameProceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE
Volume2019-October
ISSN (Print)1539-4565

Conference

Conference49th IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCovington
Period10/16/1910/19/19

Keywords

  • Engineering Students
  • Inclusion
  • Mental Health
  • Undergraduates

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Education
  • Computer Science Applications

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