ERIC Number: EJ1222207
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0309-877X
EISSN: N/A
The Financial Circumstances Associated with High and Low Wellbeing in Undergraduate Students: A Case Study of an English Russell Group Institution
Journal of Further and Higher Education, v43 n7 p901-913 2019
This article examines the relationship between a student's mental wellbeing and their financial circumstances. In England, successive governments have adopted a strategy of shifting the cost of university from the state to the individual as a means of increasing participation in higher education. In recent years, some have attributed the significant rise in the number of students accessing university mental health services to this increased financial pressure. Drawing data from a large-scale questionnaire completed by undergraduate students at a London-based Russell Group institution (N = 1171), this article explores the interaction between financial factors such as part-time work, debt, bursary receipt and parental contribution, and a student's score on a validated scale of mental wellbeing. Taking this further, it explores the relationship between a student's wellbeing score and the extent to which they feel that their financial situation has impacted their university experience. Two main research questions will be addressed: which financial circumstances are associated with high and low mental wellbeing in students, and what role does a student's perception of their financial circumstances play in relation to their wellbeing? The impact of demographic factors will also be explored. This article finds that, compared to students in the top 20% for wellbeing (Q5), students in the bottom 20% for wellbeing (Q1) were more likely to be in receipt of a bursary, less likely to receive parental financial support and less likely to be debt-free. Most notably, there was a clear relationship found between a student's mental wellbeing and their financial wellbeing.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Student Welfare, Mental Health, Foreign Countries, Debt (Financial), Student Attitudes, Parent Financial Contribution, Part Time Employment, Student Financial Aid, Student Characteristics, Attitude Measures, Withdrawal (Education), Research Universities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom (London)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A