What is it about?
Chronic health conditions (CHCs) may be due to mental or physical conditions, last for one year or more, and are ongoing conditions that often require consistent monitoring and treatment. While prior studies of university students with CHCs have suggested they have more difficulties with academic performance and overall wellbeing when compared to students with no CHCs, it is unclear whether stigma-related issues, such as internalization of negative stereotypes (for example, a student believing that they are a “bad” student because they have a CHC), may help explain why there is a difference in performance and health. This study found support for future longitudinal work (for example, using multiple surveys over time) to help establish a causal link between internalized stigma and health and academic performance.
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Why is it important?
The evidence suggests that addressing and refuting internalization of negative stereotypes may be important to improve the academic experience of students with CHCs. Students with at least one mental or physical CHC are not uncommon as the American College Health Association surveys during 2019-2021 suggest that they represent one-third of university students and that they are an increasing student population. Thus, it is important for universities to consider how best to structure their environments to facilitate the learning and thriving of the increasing population of students with CHCs.
Perspectives
Continuing this work will be important as future cohorts of students during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years will be more likely to engage in face-to-face classes as COVID-19 pandemic distancing mandates loosen. Along with more in-person instruction, students with chronic health conditions may find their conditions to be less concealable and more visible. Ultimately, it will be paramount to set up learning environments that are psychologically safe for all to engage, to learn from their mistakes, and to thrive in their learning communities. This will likely require coordinated efforts at all levels of universities.
Kevin Criswell
Eastern Washington University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Stigma, health, and academic performance in university students with physical and mental chronic health conditions: Baseline data report., Stigma and Health, May 2022, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/sah0000389.
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