Abstract

Background: Graduate school students continuously face pressure to perform and excel, especially within highly competitive allied health graduate programs. Not surprisingly, rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout for college/university students are concerning. Recent evidence suggests that intentionally fostered learning and wholeness climates have the potential to positively impact students’ higher education journeys. Resilience and grit are also vital components to aid in optimal personal and academic outcomes. Goal of the Study: The current study’s goal was to discover if a stated institutional policy and philosophy about a commitment to fostering wholeness influenced the perceived wholeness and learning climates of three graduate programs within Loma Linda University’s School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP), thus potentially positively impacting burnout, life satisfaction, and well-being while also considering the influences of resilience, grit, stress, anxiety, depression, and religion/spirituality. Participants and Methods: In the qualitative, first phase, faculty (N = 6) were recruited to participate in key informant interviews to help further guide the student survey. In phase two, all students present for on-campus classes from three departments were given the opportunity to participate in a survey (N = 360). In phase three of the study, graduate students (N = 27) from the participating SAHP departments (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy) were recruited to participate in a focus group (three total). Results: Quantitative results were statistically significant for all four hierarchical multiple regression models exploring variables of interests for the study outcomes of burnout/disengagement (B/D), burnout/exhaustion (B/E), satisfaction with life (SWL), and overall well-being (WB). Variances of the final models explained 45.8% for SWL, 36.9% for B/D, 46.4% for B/E, and 42.5% for WB. For B/D, wholeness and learning climates, grit, and spirituality (peace) continued in significance, and for B/E, learning climate, anxiety, depression, and spirituality (peace and faith) remained significant. For SWL, stress and spirituality (meaning and peace) were significant throughout. WB’s final model included significance for learning climate, depression, and spirituality (peace). Patterns for qualitative results revealed four overall themes which helped further contextualize the quantitative findings: 1) Wholeness with sub-themes of a) Interactions/personalized care at LLU, b) Appreciation for spirituality, c) Reaching out to others, d) Whole person health focus, and e) Barriers to wholeness; 2) Stressors with sub-themes of a) Financial burden, b) Parking, c) Academic-based social stressors, d) Limitations with family and friends, e) Surviving versus learning, and f) Medical/mental health components; 3) Resources with sub-themes of a) Mindy, body, and spirit and b) Support from professors and classmates; and 4) Recommendations with sub-themes of a) Communicating to increase awareness of resources, b) Interprofessional opportunities, and c) On-campus needs. Conclusions: While overall a wholeness-based philosophy does make a difference for students, we recommend to more intentionally build upon existing programs, taking into account the student needs and barriers identified. Supportive university programming and policy are further recommended.

Keywords: Learning climate, wholeness, life satisfaction, burnout, well-being, anxiety, depression, stress, resilience, grit, religion, spirituality, university students

LLU Discipline

Social Policy and Social Research

Department

Social Policy and Research

School

School of Behavioral Health

First Advisor

Susanne B. Montgomery

Second Advisor

Qais Alemi

Third Advisor

Brian Distelberg

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Level

Ph.D.

Year Degree Awarded

2018

Date (Title Page)

12-2018

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Social policy--Research; Graduate students; Personal Satisfaction; Burnout, Psychological; Organizational Policy

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

xix, 238 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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