Associations Between Low-Household Income and First-Generation Status With College Student Belonging, Mental Health, and Well-Being.

Abstract

Completing college can be difficult and students who are first-generation (FG) or low-income (LI) or both (FGLI) encounter unique structural challenges. We conducted a population-based survey (N=1671) at two interconnected highly-selective institutions of higher education and examined measures related to belonging, mental health, and well-being. Means and standard deviations for continuous measures and proportions for categorical measures were calculated for the whole sample and for each subgroup (FG, LI, FGLI). After adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, differences in these measures between each group (FG vs not FG, LI vs not LI, and FGLI vs not FGLI) were tested with linear and logistic regression models (multinomial logistic regression was used where applicable). We found the overall sample (including FG, LI, and FGLI students) reported a strong sense of belonging, low levels of mental health symptoms, and good general health and well-being - though a majority had poor or fair sleep. Yet, FG, LI, and FGLI students reported lower levels of belonging, worse mental health, and poorer general health and well-being compared to students who were not FG, LI, and FGLI, respectively. Notably, FG, LI, and FGLI students had the lowest levels of hazardous alcohol consumption. This is one of the few studies to consider in detail how FG, LI, and FGLI students are experiencing challenges across multiple domains. Colleges must address these disparities and tailor health services and interventions to serve the unique needs of FG, LI, and FGLI students.