The resilience and health-related quality of life of parent versus non-parent post-secondary students

• Published in: Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.) N.J.), 2024-10, Vol.43 (40), p.31530-31541
• Main Authors: Yates, Julia, Shillington, Katie J., Mantler, Tara, Irwin, Jennifer D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Parents & parenting; Psychology; Quality of life; Social Sciences; Students
• ISSN: 1046-1310; 1936-4733
• DOI: 10.1007/s12144-024-06729-4

Post-secondary students are an at-risk population for poor mental health and high levels of stress—both of which might influence their resilience and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Additional difficulties experienced by post-secondary students who are also parents may result in further challenges to their resilience and HRQOL. However, current literature is scant regarding the resilience and health-related outcomes among parents pursuing post-secondary education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the resilience and HRQOL of parents (with children/youth aged 0–18 years) pursuing post-secondary education in Ontario compared to non-parent post-secondary students. Selective, non-probability sampling was used to recruit participants for the online survey wherein data was collected from 86 parent-students (M age = 34.69 years; SD  = 7.07) and 288 non-parent-students (M age = 22.41 years; SD  = 5.00). By Mann-Whitney U tests, there were no statistical differences in the self-reported resilience between groups. However, significant differences between groups were found in their HRQOL; compared to non-parents, parents reported significantly more physical health problems, role limitations due to physical health, and bodily pain, while also reporting less favourable changes in their health over the past year. While parent-students reported more physical health challenges compared to non-parent students, their levels of resilience were alike. Results from this study offer important insights on some unique challenges that parent-students experience and provides the first understanding of Ontario parent-students’ levels of resilience. Additional research on the physical health challenges of parent-students is warranted.