Coping in Silence: Strategies Used by First-Generation Students to Navigate Academic and Mental Stress
Keywords:
first-generation students, academic stress, coping strategiesAbstract
This study aimed to explore the coping strategies employed by first-generation university students in Tehran to navigate academic and psychological stress within a culturally specific and resource-limited educational context. A qualitative research design grounded in a phenomenological approach was employed to capture the lived experiences of first-generation students. Twenty-two participants were purposively selected from public and private universities in Tehran. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using NVivo software, following an inductive coding process. Four overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) emotional regulation and mental health maintenance, (2) academic adaptation and performance pressure, (3) navigating social belonging and campus integration, and (4) family expectations and cultural dissonance. Subthemes revealed that students commonly relied on self-silencing, emotional suppression, internal dialogues, and spiritual coping. Many adopted perfectionistic behaviors, avoided mental health services, and masked their identities to avoid stigma. Students expressed deep-seated feelings of guilt, isolation, and imposter syndrome, exacerbated by cultural stigma, academic competitiveness, and limited institutional support. Despite significant emotional burden, participants demonstrated resilience through individualized coping strategies, though often in silence and solitude. First-generation students in Tehran manage academic and mental stress through solitary and internalized coping mechanisms shaped by cultural expectations, familial obligations, and institutional gaps. The findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive mental health services, proactive institutional support, and peer-based interventions that validate first-generation identities while addressing the unique stressors they face.
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