Date

11-2021

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Sharon Michael-Chadwell

Keywords

Mental Health, Stress, Depression, Anxiety, African American, Undergraduate

Disciplines

Educational Administration and Supervision

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to understand the impact of stress, depression, and anxiety on African American students’ success during their first undergraduate semester at House A&M University. The terms stress, depression, and anxiety were defined respectively as the feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Schlossberg’s transition theory, which defines transitions as events or experiences that result in changed interactions, habits, expectations, and responsibilities, framed this study. The study's central research question was designed to elicit participant descriptions of the ways stress, depression, and anxiety impact the first undergraduate semester at House A&M University. The research sub-questions were designed to search for a deeper understanding of the specific ways stress, depression, and anxiety impact university students during their first undergraduate semester at House A&M University. Data collection included screening questionnaires, documents, semi-structured individual interviews, and a single focus group interview. The data collected were manually analyzed. The results from the study comprised data collected from the 10 participants. The responses from the participants address the three research questions on the impact that stress, depression, and anxiety have on African American student success. Future research on this topic may be beneficial to those interested in the literature related to the study.

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