The Mental Health Challenges Experienced by College Student Parents

Posted by Aspen Institute on December 8, 2020

Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the Jed Foundation (JED) released a literature review titled, The Mental Health Challenges Experienced by Student Parents. The report by Shirley Leyro, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, highlights the scarce amount of literature available on this underserved college population and explores the unique mental health challenges faced by the various subgroups with which student parents intersect, including race, marital status, and gender.

“Mental health supports for student parents support a two-generation approach to build family well-being, said Anne Mosle, vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of Ascend. “The creation of these new resources, starting with this literature review, will better inform postsecondary institutions of practical strategies to promote academic persistence and advance success.”

This work is part of the Aspen Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative, which raises awareness about student parents and shares recommendations to increase their postsecondary success.

Learn more about the Ascend and JED partnership here and download the literature review here.