Working toward a degree while being a parent, working a job, and managing a household is immensely challenging, according to a New America blog post written by Ewaoluwa Obatuase and Nina Owolabi. As a result, the mental health of students is suffering and they need more support.
“I just don’t sleep,” Sarah* replied when asked how she manages caring for her son [and] balancing a hectic work schedule, all while attending community college. I put my son to bed…[and] then I stay up until I can get my homework done, and then I get a couple of hours of sleep before I have to get up and go back to school. So, I actually have been running on, like, four to five—if I'm lucky—hours of sleep during school.”
Sarah was one of 11 student mothers that New America interviewed for its child care work in 2023. Their stories revealed frequent struggles with exhaustion, lack of sleep, and stress, which can all severely impact mental health, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says includes “emotional, psychological, and social well-being.” Stories of exhaustion and burnout are not uncommon among the nearly four million student parents attending higher education institutions. The CDC’s website points out that mental health challenges can impact the way we respond to conflict, stress, and the ability to make healthy choices.
The research on student parent mental health isn't as extensive, making it hard to assess the full scope that mental health challenges play in student parent success.
Read the full blog post from New America to discover what is known about the mental health of student parents, ways to support the mental health of this population, and how institutions and policymakers can help.
* Pseudonyms used to preserve the anonymity of participants.