Undergraduate Social Work Students and Stress at CSUMB

Undergraduate Social Work Students and Stress at CSUMB Janelle Fletscher Social and Behavioral Sciences, Concentration Sociology Minor in Social Work Capstone Advisor: Jennifer Lucido, M. A. California State University, Monterey Bay Introduction Survey Results Findings Discussion Student stress is a paramount issue on college campuses across America. However, student stress can be examined within the parameters of a certain major. For example, undergraduate social work students face many different kinds of stress than students in other fields. These range from family expectations to field practice experience, and even to the specific curriculum of an academic program. In the context of undergraduate education, academic stress is defined as being “the product of a combination of academic related demands that exceed adaptive resources available to the individual” (Wilks, 2008, p. 107). This capstone provides insights into undergraduate social work students and their stress levels at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). . Figure 1: Measurement of respondents’ feelings about stress from minoring in social work in conjunction with their major. The findings from this capstone challenge previous research (Coleman et al. 2004; Wilson 2013). In these studies, undergraduate students reported feeling unprepared for entering the workforce as a social worker. This was not reflected in the CSUMB social work minor students’ views on their outcome preparedness for a graduate degree. However, while most survey respondents felt prepared to enter a graduate program, over a third indicated “Neutral. ” Furthermore, respondents were not stressed from minoring in social work in addition to their current major. This contradicts with Wilson’s study, which determined that bachelor’s level social work curriculum is a root cause of their stress. Overall, the social work minor at CSUMB is well designed and not stressful to students. Even so, the level of preparedness should be reviewed to determine why a large amount of students indicated they felt prepared or neutral, regarding this aspect of the social work minor. Therefore, I reject my hypothesis that CSUMB social work minor students are stressed by the curriculum. Research Questions Recommendations 1) What factors contribute to social work minor students’ stress? Future research should emphasize undergraduate social work students’ stress, rather than graduate level students or those already working in the field. Examination of stress in social work students early on will help to reduce students’ stress as they advance in the curriculum. In the long term, this will better prepare students for their professional careers before they enter the workforce. 2) To what extent do students feel prepared for graduate programs in social work after completing the learning outcomes of the social work minor? 0 3) What is the relationship between stress and major/concentration for social work minor students? Hypothesis: CSUMB social work minor students are stressed by the curriculum. Figure 2: Respondents’ feelings towards level of preparedness as a result of the social work minor outcomes. Theory Stigma Theory—Erving Goffman Stigma Theory is a form of viewing a person by a negative perspective due to a negative connotation or stereotype that does not fit the idealized norm. Figure 5: Students of the CSUMB Social Work program. Courtesy of the Master School Social Work at CSUMB. Acknowledgements Conflict Theory is when two groups in society are at odds with one another or do not fit with overall compatibility. 0 Conflict Theory—Karl Marx Figure 3: Respondent’s feelings towards level of preparedness for a professional career as a result of the minor I would like to thank my capstone advisors, Dr. Yong Lao and Professor Jennifer Lucido for helping to fine tune my survey questions. Together you sparked my interest for this study as well as the many helpful discussions on developing this work and for pushing me to think critically about this project. Thank you Dr. Armando Arias for providing the answers to many questions and feedback. I would also like to thank my parents, Curt and Kellie, for their loving support during my time at CSUMB. I would also like to thank my sister, Rachel for her support and for suggesting that I attend CSUMB. Thank you to my Grandmother, Vickie for being such a powerful and influential person in my life. I would also like to thank Mr. Jim Manson, my high school math teacher for making me believe that I can do anything and telling me to never give up. Methodology References Cited • Quantitative approach • Surveyed 29 social work minor students at CSUMB via Google Forms Bos, A. R. , Pryor, J. B. , Reeder, G. D. , & Stutterheim, S. E. (2013). Stigma: Advances in Theory and Research. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 35(1), 1 -9. (9). doi: 10. 1080/01973533. 2012. 746147. • Types of Questions: Yes/No, Multiple Choice, Open-ended, & Likert Scale Coleman, H. , Calhoun, A. , & Rogers, G. (2004). Articulation agreements between social work diploma and degree programs in english Canada. Canadian Social Work Review / Revue Canadienne De Service Social, 21(2), 189 -208. (19). • Measured the educational stress levels pertaining to the extra course load of a minor, as well as preparedness or lack thereof, for pursuing an advanced degree Holland, D. (2016). College student stress and mental health: Examination of stigmatic views on mental health counseling. Michigan Sociological Association, 30, 16 -43. (27). Ting, L. (2011). Depressive symptoms in a sample of social work students from using mental health services: An exploratory study. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(2), 253 -268. Figure 4: Respondents’ reporting of stress from workload of both their major and social work minor combined Wilson, G. (2013). Preparing Social Workers for Practice: Re-evaluating Student Learning Needs. Social Work Education, 32(5), 590606. doi: 10. 1080/02615479. 2012. 702206.