Depression and the college transition: the lived experiences of first-year college students who self-report as having depression
Date
2023
Authors
Alvarez, Joshua T., author
Anderson, Sharon K., advisor
Peila-Shuster, Jackie, committee member
Basile, Vincent, committee member
Snodgrass, Jeffrey, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
The transition to college is a transformative time in a student's life. The first year of college is especially critical as the transition from secondary education to college can determine whether a student succeeds or fails in in college (Gale & Parker, 2014; Taylor & Harris-Evans, 2018). Students with depression enter their first year of college with symptoms that create difficulties with work, home, or social activities (Pratt & Brody, 2014). Depressed mood results in a lack of energy, concentration, self-worth, and interest in daily activities (Auerbach et al., 2018; National Institute of Mental Health, 2019; Vanderlind, 2017). This phenomenological study examined the research question: How do students who recently completed their first two semesters describe their lived experienced with depression during their first-year transition to college? The 11 student participants who participated in this study had graduated from high school in the spring and transitioned to college the next fall, recently completed their first two semesters at a public university, and self-reported having depression prior to and during their first year of college. Using Schlossberg's Transition Model as a framework, the study's ordinate themes were captured within the 4S's: Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies. The ordinate themes of Situation consisted of: Transition Recognition, Adulting, Loneliness and Isolation, Questioned College, and Hopeful. Self consisted of: Comparing to Others, Minoritized Identities, and Self-Discovery. Support consisted of: Family Support and Friend Support. Strategies consisted of: Changing Strategies, Detrimental Coping Strategies, and Inability to Cope. The study provided implications for higher education and future research.