Navigating College: Exploring How Stigma and Support Shape the College Journey for Students with a Mental Illness

Presenter

Grace Ivey Tredo

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Ashley Woodman, Department of Psychology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A40, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

It’s evident that students with a mental illness (MI) face substantially more challenges throughout their college journey than students without MI. This study aims to investigate the barriers experienced by students with MI that impact student success, such as stigma and accessibility to resources. There’s an immense number of students that identify with a MI, and this prevalence has exponentially grown since the COVID-19 pandemic. MI is a highly stigmatized topic in society, which exacerbates already present obstacles for students. To better understand how MI stigma may perpetuate challenges in one’s college experience, this study will include an electronic survey inquiring about student experiences and how support has been offered by the university to help navigate their unique challenges. This will provide insight into the specific ways students have been affected by MI, which will give the university more insight on how to develop tailored interventions and increase support for students. In turn, this research will be utilized to generate a more inclusive and supportive environment for students at UMass Amherst and other campuses. With the results, student perspectives can be spread across other campuses to extend the effort in destigmatizing MI and increasing support. Thus, new programs could be put in place to foster an environment where support for MI is widely available and prioritized. Not only this, but campuses can utilize this study to explore new approaches to identify and address barriers to mental health care. This effort aims to mitigate obstacles and promote equity across college campuses.

Keywords

Mental Illness, Mental Health, Stigma, Support

Research Area

Disability Studies

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