Living ‘between two worlds’: a doctoral thesis exploring the psychological experiences and mental health of first-generation university students

Abstract

This projects area of study is student mental health, particularly the psychological experiences and mental wellbeing of first-generation students (FGS). FGS are students whose parents or carers did not attend university or obtain a degree, regardless of whether their siblings did. It is well-documented that although FGS are the majority in some universities, they continue to be the minority in occupying high-status careers and leadership positions. There is evidence that FGS in university experience high rates of mental health difficulties and are at an increased risk of drop-out. The project firstly consists of a systematic review which is a mixed-methods narrative review of the experiences of uncertainty among FGS at university. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic mechanism across a range of mental health presentations and a trans situational factor that can increase vulnerability to distress. Although all students experience uncertainty at university, uncertainty may be more significant for FGS due to their lack of familial university experiences which leaves them to navigate novel experiences independently. Therefore, this review aims to synthesise the existing literature on the experiences and types of uncertainty among FGS at university and establish how uncertainty is defined and measured in the literature, as well as critically appraise this literature, in the hope of informing support options to ameliorate mental health difficulties in FGS and subsequently improve their academic outcomes. The results feature a number of relevant quantitative and qualitative sources identified through six electronic databases, as well as grey literature searching. The results encompass the types of uncertainty experienced by FGS, as well as factors which contribute to this and associated coping strategies. Definitions and measurements of uncertainty are also discussed, and considerations are given to methodological strengths and weaknesses of identified sources. The remainder of this project consists of an empirical paper which explores how ii experiences of IU, as well as perfectionism, imposter syndrome, belonging and socioeconomic status (SES), documented to be key experiences for FGS, impact psychological wellbeing among FGS at university. This paper features an exploration of the existing research into these FGS experiences, discusses the three-phase, cross-sectional research design which was employed and provides a comprehensive summary of the findings. The results highlight how the way that some of these experiences interact with IU contributes to psychological distress, as well as the different experiences between FGS and continuing generation students (CGS). In line with these findings, primary prevention recommendations are made, alongside future research recommendations. This systematic review and empirical paper are linked as they explore the psychological experiences of FGS at university, both including IU and uncertainty. The systematic review findings around the experiences of uncertainty in FGS provide the foundation for which the empirical project builds upon by exploring experiences of IU, amongst other key experiences, in FGS. The findings of both highlight experiences which are unique to FGS and allow for primary prevention recommendations to be made to FGS, as well as CGS. Both also highlight the need for further research into the psychological experiences of FGS.