Abstract: This current study focused on the experiences of student caregivers in U.S. higher education institutions, which have increasing enrollment of undergraduate student bodies. Drawing from 7,990 student caregivers (n = 5,536 female; 69%) who participated in the 2018–2019 Healthy Minds Study, this study examined the link between campus climate and college student caregivers’ psychological outcomes, specifically anxiety and depression. We further investigated the mediating role of group belonging, or the feeling that a student belongs to an identity group on campus (such as LGBTQIA+, first-generation). Mediation analyses revealed that perceived campus climate is negatively linked to anxiety and depression through student caregiver’ perceived group belonging. Student caregivers described feeling like they belonged within their academic communities, BIPOC/racial-ethnic communities, and housing communities. Findings lay the foundation for institutional change by emphasizing the need for socioemotional support and group belonging for student caregivers. More research is needed to examine which group identities have the strongest effect on mental health.

Abstract: Leader identity development (LID) is an essential component of leadership development in meaning-making processes. Previous study of LID focused on positive leadership experiences. The current study explored stories of leader identity low points (i.e., negative leadership experiences) of 26 college students at four large institutions across the United States. A multimethod data collection process studied narrative thematic analysis and emotion coding. Results revealed that participants' LID low points occurred during times of transition, rejection, toxic leaders and environments, or self-worth struggles, including low points of sadness, embarrassment, and anxiety. When participants made meaning of low points through support networks and reflection, they experienced coherent positive resolution, reframing the low point as a period of growth. The current study emphasizes the essentiality of studying and discussing negative leadership experiences among college students, centering emotions in student leadership development theory and practice, encouraging the development of coherent authors following LID low points, and arguing for support networks as having a social buffering effect for challenging experiences.

Abstract: This study investigates the financial literacy of college student-athletes, a group facing unique financial challenges and opportunities, particularly with the growth of name, image, and likeness deals. Using data from the 2020 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this research compares the financial literacy levels of student-athletes to their non-athlete peers and explores the predictors of financial literacy within the student-athlete population. The findings reveal that student-athletes generally exhibit lower financial literacy than non-student-athletes, even after controlling for demographic and institutional factors. Additionally, significant disparities in financial literacy are observed based on gender, race, and institutional characteristics. These results underscore the need for targeted financial education programs tailored to the specific needs of student-athletes, particularly those from underrepresented groups. The study concludes with recommendations for universities and athletic programs to better support student-athletes in achieving financial competency.

Abstract: Empirical studies on minority serving institutions (MSIs) have proliferated in higher education scholarship in the past two decades. Using the MSI designations to identify distinct types of postsecondary institutions can be a useful, race-aware strategy for understanding the US higher education landscape. However, such usage warrants further examination of the racialized dynamics inherent in the scholarly enterprise engaging with MSIs. Drawing from scholarship on Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions and Hispanic Serving Institutions, we illustrate how researchers engaging with institutional actors within these organizations have yet to explicitly account for the racialized processes of conducting research alongside MSIs. In this conceptual paper, we propose a heuristic—Transparent, Aligned, and Responsive—as a methodological guidance for scholars and practitioners interested in advancing empirical knowledge on MSIs through a commitment to race-aware reciprocal partnerships with student affairs professionals.

Abstract: Self-cognition and self-acceptance are essential for mental health development and emotion in college students. The study investigated the efficacy of group drawing therapy in improving Chinese college students' positive self-cognition and self-acceptance. It is worth noting that Chinese college students in a collectivist culture have systematic and fluid conceptualizations of the self, such as "self in relation to others" and "self in background." In this study, the intervention group participated in group drawing therapy, and the control group did not participate in any mental health care. Our results demonstrated promising effects in improving the level of self-cognition and self-acceptance among college students. Group drawing therapy was beneficial to the growth-oriented development of college students. Additionally, it may provide an innovative direction for student development professionals and help mental health educators promote self-growth in psychologically disturbed college students.

The Impact of Downward Classism on Social Class Concealment Among College Students Who Are Low-Income Mun Yuk Chin (bio), Jay Jeffries (bio), and Mindi N. Thompson (bio) Given the privileging of white, middle-class norms in higher education, students who are low-income encounter classism in college (e.g., Cattaneo et al., 2019). Specifically, these students experience downward classism as posited by the social class worldview model (SCWM) in the form of discrimination or prejudice for deviating from the economic and sociocultural norms in their institutions (Liu et al., 2004). The model describes people's beliefs and experiences as shaped by their economic cultures and classism. College can thus be considered a type of economic culture for students. Downward classism has been shown to negatively impact low-income students' academic and social outcomes, including their social connectedness and perceived stigmatization (Allan et al., 2016; Nguyen & Herron, 2021). Results from a growing body of correlational and qualitative research have illustrated the ways in which students who are poor or working class manage their social class identities in higher education. Strategies of class code-switching (e.g., altering language) and disassociation (e.g., hiding status) were commonly used by students to manage the stigma associated with their lower social class statuses as well as pressures toward upward mobility in college settings (Elkins & Hanke, 2018; Radmacher & Azmitia, 2013). Poor and working-class college students were more likely to hide or conceal their social class backgrounds when they interacted with those of higher status (Aries & Seider, 2005; Radmacher & Azmitia, 2013). These findings suggest that for low-income students, social class concealment may function as a response to maintain their social status when faced with downward classism per SCWM (Liu et al., 2004). However, concealment may exacerbate negative emotions and hinder students from gaining social support, which can reinforce their disconnection from others (Aries & Seider, 2005). Despite the well-documented links between social class and other social identities (e.g., first-generation student status, race/ethnicity) that have critical implications for college students' experiences (Hinz, 2016; Radmacher & Azitia, 2013), limited research has examined how students' other identities are connected to experiences with classism. Further, existing results have yielded mixed findings. In one study at a public university, students' financial stress, but not their social class, significantly predicted their exposure to classism. This relationship did not differ between students of color and white [End Page 316] students (Cattaneo et al., 2019). In a different study, Allan et al. (2016) found that both students' social class and first-generation college student (FCGS) status significantly predicted more experiences with classism. This study built upon previous research to examine the daily phenomenon of social class concealment among low-income college students attending a large public land grant university in the US and to explore how students' identities contribute to concealment. Using data from a mixed-methods daily diary study (Chin, 2020), we tested whether students concealed their social class more frequently among interaction partners (i.e., person or people with whom students interact) with higher status (H1) and whether more effort was used to conceal their status among partners with higher status (H2). Next, we explored differences in the overall concealment frequency reported among subgroups of low-income students based on their FGCS status, race/ethnicity, transfer student status, and their own perceived social status. METHOD The study was conducted between September 2018 and May 2019 in a large, selective, public land grant university in the US Midwest. At the time of the study, approximately 16% of enrolled undergraduate students were students of color, and 17% were FGCS. Approximately 50% received financial aid, and 14% received Pell grants. Approximately 10% of undergraduate students were transfer students. While the university offers scholarship programs (e.g., full-ride scholarships, tuition and fee waivers for financially eligible in-state students) and student support services (e.g., tutoring, comprehensive transition programs) that target students who are historically underrepresented, such as FGCS and low-income students, affordability and class differences among students remain prevalent. There are student- and staff-initiated social supports for working-class and poor students (e.g., class-based support groups). Our sample consisted of 92 students who self-identified...