Understanding the Mental Health of Parent College Students

The college student population in the past decade has seen a huge shift from the traditional college student, typically 18 years old and recent high school graduate, to nontraditional college students, including: part time, independent, older adults, and parent college students (Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, 2011). The objective of this project is to better understand the mental health of parent college students. We will be investigating the individuals' experience as a parent college student and assessing the effect of their multiple roles academically, socially, and mentally. We hypothesize that coping strategies, parental stress, and demographic factors are related to mental health outcomes. The mental health of parent college students will be assessed with quantitative surveys. Surveys include a) a Demographic Questionnaire; b) the Parental Stress Scale to evaluate how parents view parenthood as either positive or stressful; c) The Mental Health Inventory, to assess depression, anxiety, well-being, and other mental health items; and d) Coping Strategies Inventory, which assesses different coping styles. Items on the surveys will be converted to a 7-point Likert scale to facilitate analysis. Correlational data analysis procedures will be used to determine relationships among variables. Specifically, Pearson’s correlation coefficient will be calculated to determine relationships. We will utilize the results to develop a better understanding of parent college student’s mental health. Based on the results, we plan to disseminate findings through campus events as well as create potential beneficial resources.