TY - JOUR
T1 - Engineering stress culture
T2 - Relationships among mental health, engineering identity, and sense of inclusion
AU - Jensen, Karin J.
AU - Cross, Kelly J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Society for Engineering Education.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Background: Stress is commonly experienced by college students, especially engineering students. However, the role of stress within engineering culture and its implications for engineering programs have not been fully explored in the literature. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to measure and examine the relationships among self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression; engineering identity; and perceptions of inclusion of undergraduate engineering students. Design/Method: We validated a quantitative survey instrument built on previously published scales and used it to measure self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression; engineering identity; and perceptions of inclusion. Results: Our findings indicate that self-reported levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are high for engineering students. Further, levels of stress and anxiety are significantly higher for female students, while levels of depression are higher for first-generation students. We find correlations between self-reported mental health symptoms, engineering identity, and perceptions of inclusion, and these relationships differ by gender. Lastly, we find that students underrepresented in engineering rate their departments as less diverse than their peers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that perceptions of inclusion and engineering identity are related to student mental health, further emphasizing the importance of developing inclusive cultures in engineering programs. The findings suggest that mental health needs greater attention in engineering education, particularly for female and first-generation students.
AB - Background: Stress is commonly experienced by college students, especially engineering students. However, the role of stress within engineering culture and its implications for engineering programs have not been fully explored in the literature. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to measure and examine the relationships among self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression; engineering identity; and perceptions of inclusion of undergraduate engineering students. Design/Method: We validated a quantitative survey instrument built on previously published scales and used it to measure self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression; engineering identity; and perceptions of inclusion. Results: Our findings indicate that self-reported levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are high for engineering students. Further, levels of stress and anxiety are significantly higher for female students, while levels of depression are higher for first-generation students. We find correlations between self-reported mental health symptoms, engineering identity, and perceptions of inclusion, and these relationships differ by gender. Lastly, we find that students underrepresented in engineering rate their departments as less diverse than their peers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that perceptions of inclusion and engineering identity are related to student mental health, further emphasizing the importance of developing inclusive cultures in engineering programs. The findings suggest that mental health needs greater attention in engineering education, particularly for female and first-generation students.
KW - engineering identity
KW - gender
KW - inclusion
KW - mental health
KW - undergraduate education
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U2 - 10.1002/jee.20391
DO - 10.1002/jee.20391
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105408914
SN - 1069-4730
VL - 110
SP - 371
EP - 392
JO - Journal of Engineering Education
JF - Journal of Engineering Education
IS - 2
ER -