The United States is experiencing a surge in international graduate students, particularly from Southeast Asia. These students bring a wealth of knowledge and fresh perspectives, significantly enriching the U.S. economy, academia, and scientific research (Popadiuk & Arthur, 2014). Their contributions extend beyond the academic realm, fostering…

This study aimed to determine occupational therapy students' coping strategies and styles to manage stress. The final sample included 160 students, with 39 master of occupational therapy (MOT) students and 121 occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students who were currently enrolled in an MOT or OTD program. This study used a cross-sectional,…

Previous studies have linked experiences with chance events to shifts in career intentions, but they have not investigated chance events as agents of career shifts in graduate students. This study investigated the types of chance events and perceived impacts of those events on the career intentions of life science graduate students at a university…

International students represent a large portion of student populations in higher education in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on international students. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of international students who were stranded in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive…

Every year, the U.S. witnesses an increase in the number of international students pursuing higher education. Researchers, who have focused primarily on international undergraduates, have suggested that international students often encounter various acculturative stressors while adapting to new academic and living environments. Moreover, there is…

This qualitative study explores the availability of social support for acculturation stress experienced by international students from China and India. Two focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 12 Chinese and Indian graduate students enrolled at a public university in the southeast US. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim…

The COVID-19 pandemic can be understood through a trauma-informed lens, as the cumulative and chronic health, financial, and interpersonal stressors can be considered traumatic and may lead to long-term psychological distress. Unfortunately, this pandemic has greater impacts on marginalized populations, including those from racial and ethnic…

This quasi-experimental study will explore whether the use of aromatherapy increases students' academic success and coping skills and decreases the level of perceived stress in graduate college students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without…

Students pursuing a graduate degree in social work online face a challenging academic journey that requires intellectual ability and emotional resiliency (De las Olas Palma-Garcia et al., 2014; Moore et al., 2015; Ratcliff, 2024). The Transactional Model of Stress provides a valuable framework for understanding how students perceive and respond to…

This study examines self-perceived coping strategies and academic success among preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs. Understanding the self-reported coping strategies preservice teachers utilize in teacher preparation programs is crucial for their preparation and academic performance. By analyzing and discussing self-reported…

Context: Athletic training students (ATSs) have reported increased levels of stress due to balancing a myriad of responsibilities, both as students and with personal life roles. Coping mechanisms to manage their stress are multifactorial. The COVID-19 pandemic has added additional stressors not yet fully understood. Objective: Although some…

This is a qualitative study that explored the experience of stress in parents during graduate school and examined how the challenges of balancing parental obligations with academic responsibilities impacted the parent graduate student's ability to satisfactorily meet the demands of the parent and graduate student identities. Eight participants who…

This dissertation manuscript discusses race-based traumatic stress among Black Graduate Women in higher education settings using the approach Sista Healing Circle Methodology (SCM). This dissertation focuses on black graduate women in higher educational settings because history has shown that educational spaces have limited "space" for…

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic and the sociopolitical climate in the United States have imposed additional stress and anxiety for graduate students. We explored the stress level in graduate occupational therapy students, the role of exercise in reducing stress, and common coping mechanisms applied to manage academic and sociopolitical stress.…

The literature on adult students, and in particular, graduate students with children, reveals that female students often struggle to balance their studies and home life due to juggling multiple roles. To date, research on student mothers has primarily focused on domestic students, with few studies examining the experiences of international student…