How First-Generation College Students Experience and Respond to Stress

• In Event: Stress and Coping in Higher Education

Abstract

In this mixed-methods study, the researchers examine how first-generation college students (FGCSs) experience and respond to stress while enrolled in college. Through the use of surveys and interviews, the researchers identify the types of stress participants experienced and how they respond to that stress, including how their unique assets may or may not guide their response. The researchers found that participants often used their assets to mitigate stress, preferred peers to unknown adults in stressful situations, and found a sense of community when sharing their experiences with other first-generation peers from their hometown who were attending a different school.

Authors

• Brian Kayser, University of Virginia

• Abigail Akosua Amoako Kayser, California State University - Fullerton