Applying Social Support Theory to Better Account for Barriers and Supports for College Student Parents

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Applying New Ways of Thinking: Understand Summer Programming and Parental Engagement (Table 2)

Abstract

College students who are parents are more likely to dropout than their peers. Although studies of student parents have focused on the supports they need, a lack of theory has resulted in a fragmented literature base. A common framework would provide shared core knowledge for scholars and practitioners, enhance collaboration, and allow findings to accumulate and advance. This descriptive study advances the literature by using social support theory to understand student parents’ stressors and supports at a public university. Social support theory posits that formal and informal supports provide a buffer against stressors. This work fills an important gap in the research by modeling a theory-driven approach intended to guide future studies of college student parents.

Author

• Hannah Kye, Rowan University
  Presenting Author