Date
4-29-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration (PhD)
Chair
Breck Perry
Keywords
college students, mental health, higher education, social cognitive theory
Disciplines
Educational Leadership | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Bradley, Arlissia Lenton, "Empathetic Administration: Leveraging Phenomenological Insights to Enhance Student Mental Health Support in Higher Education" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8207.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8207
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how students at universities in Texas navigated online mental health resources and coping supports while managing mental health challenges. The central research question that guided this study was: What were the lived experiences of students in higher education who were managing mental health issues? Utilizing Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory as the theoretical framework, the study examined how cognitive appraisals and self-effective beliefs, environmental supports and constraints, and behavioral coping strategies interacted as students interpreted and responded to mental health stressors in academic contexts. Data was collected in a virtual setting through protocol writing, individual in-depth interviews, and focus groups with approximately 12 students who self-reported mental health challenges and had accessed digital mental health resources while enrolled. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to analyze the data and identify meaning units and thematic patterns across participants’ narratives. The interpretations provided a nuanced description of students help-seeking and coping processes, including how students made sense of their experiences and sustained coping efforts while balancing mental health needs and academic expectations. The synthesis of findings informed recommendations for more accessible, student-centered mental health supports in higher education.
