The challenges of being first: Exploring the perceptions of first-year first-generation college students towards their mental healthcare on-campus

Abstract

First-generation college students represent a growing percentage of enrolled students at colleges and universities across the United States. Parallel to this trend in enrollment, more and more college students experience mental health concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. The global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of mental health concerns among students. This qualitative study grounded in narrative inquiry explored the perceptions of mental healthcare on-campus via semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, all of whom identified as first-generation, lived on-campus their first year, and accessed mental healthcare at least once during their first year. The theoretical framework for this study included Strayhorn’s (2012) research on sense of belonging and Yosso’s (2005) model of community cultural wealth. The findings identified four themes that yielded three primary perspectives, including (a) complex appreciation for the service and belonging; (b) seeing support-seeking as a sign of strength and use of capital; and (c) community/navigational social capital as roads to help. These findings helped illuminate how first-generation college students perceive of mental healthcare on-campus and subsequent ways institutional decision-makers can use this information to bolster their support of this particular student population.