Capable and Different: A Grounded Theory of Studying at University for Students Experiencing Mental Ill-health

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Allied Health, College of Science Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Mental ill-health is an important issue for many university students and for universities. While universities attempt to meet the needs of students with mental ill-health, detailed understanding of their experience is not available to inform students or to direct policies or interventions. This constructivist grounded theory study used a participatory framework to explore the experiences of university students experiencing mental ill-health. A reference group, constituted by six people with lived experience of mental ill-health and the investigators, oversaw the study. Data were gathered through 21 in-depth interviews with 15 current students, and 12 recorded reference group meetings. Coding, memo-writing, rigorous comparative data analysis and theoretical sampling generated a substantive theory of the process of studying for students with mental ill-health. The findings indicate that students with mental ill-health who participated in this study feel both capable and different, as they strive to be ‘regular’ university students. Their central issue was feeling different and needing to manage that difference in order to persist with study. Participants managed feeling different by hanging in with difference, wrestling with difference and reconciling difference. When the demands of being a student outweighed their resources, participants dropped out of studying. Participants that had dropped out, all found ways to return to study after tolerating despair they experienced as a consequence of dropping out. A grounded theory is proposed to explain the forces that confirm difference – categorising, isolation, relationships and silencing – as well as the processes that create space for difference – positive connections, allowing difference, speaking out and successful doing. The generated theory promotes awareness of students’ shared experiences, may decrease students’ sense of isolation and shame, and guide alternative actions for students and universities. Examining the impact of dissemination of findings to students will test the resonance and value of the theoretical ideas for students themselves.