Authors

Presenter(s)

Morgan E Longstreth

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Description

The typical college student faces a number of challenges during their pursuit of higher education. Adding chronic illness to the fragile equation of identity development, establishing and fostering relationships, and academic pressures that occur during the college years provides significant impediment to such development. While academic functioning in these individuals is widely assessed, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is equally worthy of research and has arguably further reaching influence if better understood. There is little research examining how chronic symptoms affect the wellbeing of college students. Further investigation is needed in order to better understand and treat the difficulties these students face. Four HRQoL-related constructs hypothesized to have a special impact on those with chronic illnesses were selected to be studied in the present research: illness-related stigma, psychosocial functioning, coping skills, and psychological health (specifically depression and anxiety). Using an online survey platform, each construct is measured in individuals who self-identify as having a chronic illness. Constructs are examined using validated psychological measures, specifically with respect to symptom avoidance, illness intrusiveness, stigma, and mental health. Such research aims to provide insight into the college student’s illness experience, and how academicians, psychological and physical health care providers, and parents, peers, and students can better understand and meet the needs of the chronically ill college student.

Publication Date

4-5-2017

Project Designation

Graduate Research - Graduate

Primary Advisor

Jacob Burmeister

Primary Advisor's Department

Psychology

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

Health-Related Quality of Life in Chronically-Ill College Students: Examining Influential Constructs

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