Determining the Presence and Potential Causes of Mental Health and Well-being Concerns in Student Affairs Professionals
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Authors
Riddinger, Kathryn
Date
2023-05-12
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF
Kathryn Riddinger for the degree of Doctor of Education in Learning, Leadership and
Community
Presented on March 24, 2023
Title: Determining the Presence and Potential Causes of Mental Health and Well-Being
Concerns in Student Affairs Professionals
Student affairs professionals play an integral role in supporting college students’ mental
health and well-being. Yet the current literature lacks research that specifically
documents these phenomena within this set of professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic
created additional mental health and well-being concerns that are worth empirically
exploring. The current study aims to document how student affairs professionals
experience mental health and well-being in relation to their identity, functional area,
salary, years of experience, and the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing a mixed method,
explanatory sequential design. Of the 327 American student affairs professionals that
completed the demographic questions, 245 completed all items in this survey. Factors
that impact mental health and well-being in this population (autonomy, competence, and
relatedness) are also explored as outlined by the self-determination model of health
behavior change. Data was analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and inductive
thematic coding. Findings suggest that mental health in student affairs professionals is
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impacted by the following: a) workplace autonomy, b) competence-building, c) positive
relationships, d) gender, e) salary, f) years of experience, and g) functional area.
Psychological well-being is impacted by the following: a) workplace autonomy,
b) positive relationships, c) salary, and d) functional area. How student affairs
professionals’ experienced COVID-19 was a function of race and ethnicity, work from
home status, and functional area. Additional potential factors, as well as implications for
this study are discussed.