On a Journey of Struggle, Strength, and Human Flourishing: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Mental Health (Holistic Well-being) Among Undergraduate Students of Color at Stanford University
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This study examines the lived experiences of mental health (holistic well-being) among a purposefully selected sample of undergraduate students of color at Stanford University. As previous research has focused primarily on the quantitative measurement of student mental health, specifically among Caucasian, female undergraduate samples, and with a tendency towards focusing on illness rather than health, little is known about how mental health is experienced among a diverse undergraduate population. The current study utilizes a phenomenological, inductive qualitative research design to investigate what factors affect student holistic well-being. Data were collected through the use of grounded, semi-structured in-person interviews and a final sample population of 22 undergraduates, all of whom self-identified as a person of color, were analyzed. Thematic analysis revealed the emergence of three main categorical themes that affect student mental health: independent, interdependent, and sociocultural factors. Within these categories, there arose independent (e.g., self-care practices) and interdependent (social support) perceived enhancers to student mental health and independent (e.g., being overwhelmed), interdependent (e.g., disconnection), and sociocultural (e.g., societal pressures) perceived detractors to undergraduate holistic well-being. Findings from this research have important implications for expanding awareness and education of student mental health, taking prevention, strengths-based approaches into consideration.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | June 2016 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Delena, Alfred W. |
|---|---|
| Author | O'Keeffe, Jamie |
| Primary advisor | Padilla, Amado |
| Advisor | Willinsky, John |
| Advisor | Wolf, Jennifer |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Graduate School of Education |
Subjects
| Subject | mental health |
|---|---|
| Subject | undergraduate students of color |
| Subject | stress |
| Subject | human connection |
| Subject | vulnerability |
| Subject | holistic well-being |
| Subject | qualitative research |
| Subject | positive psychology |
| Subject | higher education |
| Subject | “single story" |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-SA).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Delena, Alfred W. (2016). On a journey of struggle, strength, and human flourishing: Understanding the lived experiences of mental health (holistic well-being) among undergraduate students of color at Stanford University. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/cg586yw7108
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education
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- Contact
- alfred.delena@gmail.com
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