- Award ID(s):
- 1929484
- Publication Date:
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10380232
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Education Annual Conference
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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CONTEXT With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting response from universities, engineering students find themselves in an unprecedented situation. In addition to stressors related to the curriculum, residential students across the United States are being asked to relocate away from campus and engage in distance learning. At the same time, social distancing requirements are limiting students’ ability to socialize, procure food and supplies, exercise, and remain employed and financially solvent. Some students will fall ill while others face the prospect of sick family members, and even deaths in the family. Prior research suggests that individuals living through this pandemic are likely to face stress, uncertainty, and fear that affects their mental health and academic performance for years to come. PURPOSE OR GOAL The purpose of this study was to understand the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting engineering students’ mental wellness, specifically stress, and how the effects differ for different groups of students. The research questions addressed are: 1) What effects has the pandemic had on baseline stress levels, and how do those vary by demographic group? 2) What effects has the pandemic had on quality of life, such as sleep habits and financial security,more »
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This work in progress research paper characterizes mental wellness in engineering at five institutions across the Western United States to better understand what mental health issues most affect the broader engineering student community. Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that stress and certain mental wellness issues are particularly acute in the field of Engineering, and some recent research has shown elevated rates of mental wellness issues at different institutions around the country. This paper presents the results of a previously validated mental health survey conducted with first– and second–year students at several universities. The results of this work include screening rates for major mental health issues (e.g. DSM diagnosable) and moderate mental health issues as captured by the Kessler 6 screening instrument; screening rates for depressive, anxiety, and eating disorders as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ); and screening rates for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as measured by the Primary-Care Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PC-PTSD) instrument. This work also includes a preliminary analysis of screen rates by demographic groups so that educators and academic facilitators may be better aware of the types of challenges that face a diverse engineering student populace. Overall, we find that 28.4% percent of respondents potentiallymore »
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