Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Uddin, M. M., & Johnson, K. (2025). S uden Well-Being in
he Enginee ing Con ex . In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy,
B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing
Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631329.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
STUDENT WELL-BEING IN THE ENGINEERING CONTEXT
Mohammad Moin Uddin a,
1
, Kei h Johnson b
a Eas Tennessee S a e Uni e si y, Johnson Ci y, Tennessee, USA
b Eas Tennessee S a e Uni e si y, Johnson Ci y, Tennessee, USA
Con e ence Key A eas: Imp o ing highe enginee ing educa ion h ough
esea ching enginee ing educa ion; Di e si y, equi y and inclusion in ou uni e si ies
Keywo ds: well-being, men al heal h, enginee ing s uden success
ABSTRACT
Men al well-being is undamen al o bo h he academic pe o mance and o e all
success o enginee ing s uden s. Gi en he demanding cu icula and high
expec a ions inhe en in enginee ing p og ams, many s uden s expe ience signi ican
ch onic s ess ha can hinde hei abili y o engage ully wi h hei s udies and each
hei po en ial. To be e unde s and hese challenges, we de eloped a
comp ehensi e su ey ins umen and dis ibu ed i among enginee ing s uden s,
aiming o del e deeply in o hei expe iences and iden i y a eas whe e enhanced
suppo could en ich s uden li e wi hin he depa men . Ou su ey indings e ealed
a spec um o expe iences. A majo i y o pa icipan s epo ed posi i e in e ac ions
wi h campus esou ces and con eyed ha hey el alued a Eas Tennessee S a e
Uni e si y. Howe e , some s uden s also exp essed a need o addi ional suppo ,
pa icula ly in a eas such as ca ee p epa a ion and men al heal h se ices.
Fu he mo e, esponden s highligh ed ex e nal challenges— anging om inancial
cons ain s o he impac o global e en s— ha u he a ec hei men al well-being.
These insigh s unde sco e he impo ance o a communi y-cen e ed app oach, one
ha no only le e ages exis ing esou ces bu also con inuously seeks inno a i e
s a egies o add ess eme ging challenges. By ein o cing suppo sys ems and
os e ing engagemen and dialogue, we can c ea e an en i onmen whe e e e y
enginee ing s uden has he oppo uni y o h i e bo h academically and pe sonally.
1
Mohammad Moin Uddin
M Uddin
[email p o ec ed]u.
1 INTRODUCTION
Enginee ing is o en seen as one o he mos s ess ul ields o s udy in highe
educa ion (Danowi z & Beddoes, Cha ac e izing men al heal h and wellness in
s uden s ac oss enginee ing disciplines, 2018). The igo ous demands o he
discipline can lead s uden s o iew poo men al heal h as an ine i able pa o hei
college expe ience (Jensen & C oss, 2019). S udies show ha enginee ing s uden s
equen ly pe cei e hei men al heal h and well-being o be wo se han ha o hei
pee s in o he majo s (Fos e & Spence , 2003). Addi ionally, hey end o seek
psychological suppo less o en han s uden s in non-enginee ing ields (Lipson,
Zhou, Wagne III, Beck, & Eisenbe g, 2016). In his s udy we de ine s uden well-
being as hei o e all sense o con en men , sa is ac ion, and posi i e unc ioning
(Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion, 2025). Sense o belonging is ela ed o posi i e men al
heal h and esea ch on sense o belonging seems o indica e ha , o he s uden ,
he s onge he sel -pe cei ed sense o belonging o a campus o communi y, he
g ea e he likelihood o success (Yeo, Asgha , & So by, 2024; S eble on, So ia, &
Huesman J , 2014; Tin o, 2012). The e o e, well-being includes o e all heal h,
men al heal h, and s uden s’ sense o belonging and connec ion o he ins i u ion and
communi y. Well-being can be shaped by s uden s’ own beha io s and i can also be
in luenced by ex e nal de e minan s such as disc imina ion, inancial ulne abili y
and o he sou ces o s ess.
The s uden popula ion in he Depa men o Enginee ing, Enginee ing Technology,
and Su eying a Eas Tennessee S a e Uni e si y (ETSU) has g own signi ican ly
o e he yea s, boas ing a e en ion a e o o e 80%. Howe e , ou six-yea
g adua ion a e is a me e 50%, which is 10% lowe han he U.S. na ional a e age
(ASEE, 2017). To imp o e his g adua ion a e, he depa men is implemen ing
se e al ini ia i es, wi h men al heal h and well-being iden i ied as a s a egic ocus o
suppo s uden success in he enginee ing p og am.
Al hough ETSU o e s many se ices aimed a s uden well-being and success, he
depa men is pa icula ly in e es ed in unde s anding he men al heal h ac o s ha
in luence ou s uden s' expe iences. This unde s anding will help in o m plans o
enhance hei success. The s udy ocuses on h ee esea ch ques ions:
• Wha is he s a us o he enginee ing s uden s’ sense o belonging a ETSU
and wha ac o s do con ibu e o s uden s’ sense o belonging?
• Wha a e sou ces o men al s esso s?
• Wha a e he s a egies and esou ces ha s uden s use o cope wi h he
abo e s esso s?
2 MENTAL HEALTH FACTORS UNIQUE TO ENGINEERING PROGRAMS
Enginee ing s uden s o en ace unique challenges ha can signi ican ly impac hei
well-being and men al heal h. The igo ous academic demands, including complex
p oblem-sol ing asks, igh deadlines, and high expec a ions, can lead o ele a ed
le els o s ess and anxie y (A mi age, Bou ne, Di Simone, Jones, & Nea e, 2020)
(Cos abile, 2024) . Addi ionally, he compe i i e na u e o enginee ing p og ams can
exace ba e eelings o p essu e and inadequacy among s uden s, con ibu ing o
men al heal h issues such as dep ession and anxie y. A signi ican challenge o
enginee ing s uden s is managing he hea y wo kload spending long hou s on
assignmen s, p ojec s, and exams while main aining academic pe o mance and
men al heal h (Tai , Alexande , Hancock, & Bisse , 2024). This wo kload imbalance
no only a ec s academic ou comes bu also con ibu es o men al a igue and
educed well-being.
Poo men al heal h can signi ican ly impac enginee ing s uden s in a ious ways.
Academically, i can lead o lowe g ades and dec eased e en ion o in o ma ion,
making i di icul o s uden s o succeed in hei s udies (Wya , Oswal , & Ochoa,
2017). The in ense p essu e and s ess may also esul in highe d opou a es, as
s uden s s uggle o cope wi h he demands o hei p og ams (And ews, Cla k, &
Phull, 2020). Physically, ch onic s ess can cause sleep dis u bances, a igue, and
inc eased suscep ibili y o illnesses (Russell & Ligh man, 2019). Socially, he
demanding na u e o enginee ing s udies o en leads o isola ion and loneliness,
exace ba ing men al heal h issues. Addi ionally, enginee ing s uden s may be less
likely o seek psychological suppo due o s igma and he pe cep ion ha hey
should handle s ess independen ly. These challenges can ha e long- e m ca ee
impac s, a ec ing s uden s' pe o mance in in e nships, job in e iews, and
p o essional se ings. Add essing hese issues equi es a comp ehensi e app oach,
including p o iding men al heal h esou ces, os e ing a suppo i e en i onmen , and
p omo ing a cul u e o well-being and esilience among enginee ing s uden s. As
esea ch accumula es, i becomes inc easingly clea ha add essing he well-being
o enginee ing s uden s is no jus a mo al impe a i e bu a s a egic necessi y o he
u u e o he p o ession.
3 METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN
The pu pose o his s udy is o expand ou unde s anding o he challenges acing
s uden s in ou enginee ing depa men , especially hose ela ed o inclusion and
belonging, o e all heal h and well-being. Ou goal is o iden i y oppo uni ies o new
o enhanced e o s o suppo s uden wellbeing in he depa men . The s udy design
in ol es se e al s eps:
1. Design and adminis a ion o he su ey ins umen
2. Da a analysis and syn hesis
3. De elop an ac ion plan o Fall semes e implemen a ion
3.1 Su ey Ins umen
A well-being su ey was de eloped by he au ho s. The su ey was pa ially adap ed
om he s udy o Mi chell, Be ni z, Fe dschneide , & Mellins (2021) o Columbia
Uni e si y and adjus ed o e lec ETSU s uden needs and esou ces. ETSU's
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d (IRB) app o ed he su ey and i s p ocedu es. The su ey
ins umen was coded in Qual ics and adminis e ed online by he au ho s o all
enginee ing s uden s In he Depa men o Enginee ing, Enginee ing Technology and
Su eying a ETSU du ing he 2025 Sp ing Semes e . Su ey ecipien s we e in i ed
o pa icipa e by email wi h wo subsequen email eminde s. S uden s comple ed he
su ey anonymously wi hou names o iden i ying in o ma ion, and au ho s did no
ecei e any iden i ying in o ma ion abou indi idual pa icipan . The su ey consis ed
o 12 ques ions add essing h ee main opics:
1. Enginee ing s uden s’ connec ion and belonging
2. O e all heal h and men al heal h, including s ess, coping and esilience, and
sou ces o suppo
3. Awa eness and use o ETSU esou ces and se ices
The su ey was comple ed by 33 s uden s, ep esen ing a esponse a e o
app oxima ely 30%. A small numbe o commen s we e ecei ed o he single open-
ended ques ion, bu hese we e no included in his pape .
3.2 S uden Su ey Pa icipan Demog aphics
Se e al s udies documen ed men al heal h dispa i ies based on ace, gende , i s -
gene a ion and se e al o he demog aphic pa ame e s (Danowi z & Beddoes, Men al
heal h in enginee ing educa ion: Iden i ying popula ion and in e sec ional a ia ion,
2022; Ashe BlackDee , Pa e son Sil e Wol , Maguin, & Beele -S inn, 2023; Lipson,
e al., 2022). This su ey eques ed some o hose impo an demog aphic
pa ame e s which a e summa ized in Fig. 1. Mos esponden s iden i ied as Whi e
(73%), wi h smalle p opo ions iden i ying as Black o A ican Ame ican, Asian, o
Hispanic. In e ms o academic le el, eshmen comp ised he la ges g oup a 39%,
wi h sophomo es and junio s each ep esen ing 24% o he su ey pa icipan s; only
ou senio s comple ed he su ey. Addi ionally, abou 67% o he esponden s
iden i ied as male, and one hi d (33%) epo ed being i s -gene a ion college
s uden s. A majo i y (61%) o he s uden s we e be ween 18 and 20 yea s old, and
79% we e en olled as ull- ime s uden s.
Fig. 1. Demog aphic in o ma ion o he su ey pa icipan s
4 DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
The esul s in his sec ion summa ize based on he esponses only s uden su ey
pa icipan s in he enginee ing p og am a ETSU and s uc u e a ound ou esea ch
ques ions. E en hough ou sample size is small, he da a cap u e a di e se ange o
expe iences and backg ounds, and hus p o ide impo an insigh in o enginee ing
s uden well-being.
12%
9%
6%
73%
Race/E hnici y
A ican
Ame ican
Asian
Hispanic
Whi e
10
22
1
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Female
Male
P e e no o say
Gende
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
No
Yes
A e you a i s -gene a ion college
s uden ?
13
8 8
4
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
F eshman Sophomo e Junio Senio
I am a
4.1 Enginee ing S uden s Sense o Belonging
A s ong sense o belonging is essen ial o enginee ing s uden s as i signi ican ly
in luences hei academic pe o mance, e en ion a es, and o e all well-being
(Ména d, Pi e, Milid ag, & Chi le, 2024; Pa ick, e al., 2023; S ayho n, 2018).
When s uden s eel connec ed o hei pee s, acul y, and he b oade academic
communi y, hey a e mo e likely o engage ac i ely in hei s udies, pa icipa e in
collabo a i e p ojec s, and seek suppo when needed. In ou su ey, nea ly wo-
hi ds (64%) o he pa icipan s epo ed ha hey s ongly el a sense o belonging
a ETSU (Fig. 2). Addi ionally, 67% indica ed ha hey el alued as indi iduals a
ETSU and had access o p og ams and esou ces ha os e hei success. No ably,
he s uden s who disag eed wi h hese posi i e sen imen s ended o be Whi e,
ans e s uden s, and i s -gene a ion college s uden s. This sugges s ha while
many enginee ing s uden s expe ience a suppo i e and connec ed academic
en i onmen , speci ic subg oups may equi e addi ional a en ion. Ta ge ed
in e en ions o hese g oups could enhance hei sense o belonging and, in u n,
signi ican ly con ibu e o imp o ing hei o e all men al well-being.
Fig. 2. S uden s’ sel - epo ed sense o belonging o he ETSU communi y
Many ac o s con ibu e o s uden s’ sense o belonging a ETSU (Fig. 3). Mos
s uden s indica ed ha hei iendships (57%) ha e he g ea es impac on hei
sense o belonging, ollowed by academic classes and p ojec s (33%) and being a
membe o leade o a s uden o ganiza ion o eam (30%). This indica es posi i e
s uden engagemen is key o he enginee ing s uden well-being.
Fig.3. Fac o s con ibu e s uden s’ sense o belonging
4.2 Enginee ing S uden s Sou ces o S ess
High le els o s ess a e associa ed wi h inc eased anxie y, dep ession, and bu nou ,
which can hinde academic pe o mance and o e all quali y o li e. S udies ha e
shown ha pe cei ed and p olonged s ess nega i ely co ela es wi h men al well-
being, highligh ing he need o e ec i e coping s a egies and suppo sys ems o
mi iga e hese e ec s (Slimmen, Timme mans, Mikolajczak-Deg auwe, & Oenema,
2022) (Shanka & Pa k, 2016).Fo his su ey, s uden s we e asked o assess hei
le els o s ess o 8 commonly epo ed s uden - ela ed s esso s. S uden s epo ed
being mos s essed abou hei u u e employmen p ospec s, wi h 88% indica ing
mode a e o se e e s ess in his a ea [Table 1]. Men al heal h and o e all well-being
ollowed closely, wi h 64% o esponden s epo ing signi ican s ess, while conce ns
abou he cu en inancial si ua ion a ec ed 61%. Al hough hese s esso s a ied by
academic le el, sophomo es and junio s we e no ably mo e anxious abou job
p ospec s, whe eas eshmen and senio s expe ienced g ea e s ess ela ed o
men al heal h, well-being, and inances. Addi ional s ess ac o s we e also iden i ied
in he su ey. Six y-one pe cen o s uden s epo ed eeling s essed abou he
heal h o hei lo ed ones, 52% we e oubled by na ional and global e en s, and
18% el he impac o clima e change. I appea s ha sophomo es, in pa icula , a e
mo e a ec ed by hese ex e nal challenges. Mo eo e , a la ge majo i y (94%)
epo ed no inciden s o bias o disc imina ion a ETSU, wi h only 6% indica ing
o he wise. This ou come unde sco es ETSU’s commi men o os e ing an academic
communi y whe e indi iduals a e alued, ea ed wi h digni y and espec , and
empowe ed o achie e hei ull po en ial.
Table 1: S esso s s uden s epo ed a mode a e o se e e le els
How much anxie y/s ess/dis ess do you
cu en ly ha e in ela ion o each o he ollowing
To al
F
SO
J
SN
Fu u e employmen /ge ing a job
88%
77%
100%
100%
75%
You men al heal h and well-being
64%
69%
50%
63%
75%
You cu en inancial si ua ion
61%
46%
75%
63%
75%
The heal h o you lo ed ones o o he p oblems
expe ienced by you lo ed ones
61%
54%
50%
63%
100%
Na ional/wo ld e en s
52%
54%
63%
50%
25%
Clima e change
40%
38%
63%
38%
0%
Bias o disc imina ion inciden s ha you ha e ead o
hea d abou in he news o expe ienced ou side o
ETSU
18%
15%
13%
38%
0%
Bias o disc imina ion inciden s ha you ha e
expe ienced a ETSU
6%
8%
0%
0%
25%
No e: F: F eshman, SO: Sophomo e, J: Junio , SN: Senio
4.3 Use o Campus Resou ces and Impac on Well-Being
ETSU o e s se ices and p o ides esou ces speci ically o s uden success and
well-being. S uden s we e asked abou hei use o a ious campus esou ces and
he impac on hei well-being. The e is a iabili y in s uden s’ use o campus
esou ces, which is o be expec ed as some o hese esou ces a e designed o
suppo mo e a ge ed s uden needs, such as he disabili y se ice o Sexual
Violence Response. In gene al, mos s uden s epo ed hey ha e no used many o
he well-being and s uden success se ices o e ed a ETSU (simila end among
enginee ing s uden s as iden i ied in p e ious esea ch). Many ac o s may
con ibu e o s uden s no using hese se ices, bu he depa men can do mo e by
ei he ad e ising hese se ices o he s uden s equen ly o e en b inging hese
se ices o he depa men o easy access.
S uden s who do make use o campus esou ces o en no ed he posi i e impac on
hei well-being, as seen in Fig. 4. Consis en ly, s uden s epo ed ha campus
ec ea ion/CPA (70%), o ice hou s o o he ac i i ies wi h acul y (48%), u o ing and
pee men o ship p og ams (33%) a e he mos -used campus esou ces ha
posi i ely impac s uden s’ well-being.
Fig. 4. Pe cen o s uden s epo ed using he well-being and s uden success
se ices o e ed a ETSU and had posi i e impac .
S uden s also epo ed some o hese esou ces ha hey ha e ied bu did no
posi i ely imp o e hei well-being. Fou s uden s epo ed ca ee se ices, h ee
s uden s epo ed Mul icul u al Cen e e en s, semina s and communi y se ices,
and one s uden each o o ice hou s o o he ac i i ies wi h acul y, u o ing and
pee men o ship p og ams, and uni e si y compliance o ice was no help ul. Fu he
in es iga ion is equi ed o iden i y why hese se ices ailed o p o ide he s uden s
he needed well-being suppo .
5 ACTION PLAN
Suppo ing s uden well-being in he Depa men o Enginee ing, Enginee ing
Technology and Su eying a ETSU is c ucial gi en he igo ous cou sewo k and
high-p essu e en i onmen ha s uden s a e in. Based on he su ey inds, he e a e
some p ac ices ha will be implemen ed by he depa men .
1. P o ide Pe sonalized Men al Heal h Suppo : The depa men will pa ne wi h
he s uden success cen e and campus counseling se ices o p o ide
wo kshops on men al heal h and ela ed a eas. In addi ion, o e con iden ial
counselling sessions ailo ed o enginee ing s uden s and c ea e pee suppo
g oups whe e s uden s can sha e expe iences and ad ice.
2. Imp o e Communica ion wi h Men o s: The depa men will es ablish a
men o ship p og am o guide s uden s academically and pe sonally and o e
egula check-ins wi h academic ad iso s o discuss p og ess and challenges.
In addi ion, he depa men will encou age open-doo policies whe e s uden s
can seek help wi hou hesi a ion.
3. Es ablish a Sense o Communi y: The depa men will encou age he
es ablishmen o o ganize s udy g oups, social e en s and ne wo king
oppo uni ies and encou age eamwo k and collabo a ion a he ha
excessi e compe i ion.
4. Reduce S igma A ound Seeking Help: The depa men in conjunc ion wi h
campus pa ne s, will p o ide wo kshops o acul y and s uden s on men al
heal h awa eness. In addi ion, he depa men will p o ide a pla o m ha will
allow alums who ha e sough suppo o sha e es imonials and success
s o ies and c ea e an en i onmen whe e seeking help is seen as a sign o
s eng h a he han weakness.
The au ho s belie e ha by implemen ing hese p ac ices among o he s he
depa men can c ea e a hea hie and mo e suppo i e en i onmen whe e s uden s
can s i e bo h academically and pe sonally.
6 CONCLUSIONS
In his pape , we p esen ed a quan i a i e s udy examining well-being and men al
heal h among enginee ing s uden s a ETSU, wi h he goal o in o ming and
imp o ing ou collec i e e o s o enhance s uden well-being bo h wi hin he
enginee ing depa men and ac oss he Uni e si y. Ou s udy iden i ied h ee p ima y
hemes: i s , a s ong sense o belonging wi hin he ETSU communi y posi i ely
con ibu es o s uden s’ o e all well-being; second, enginee ing s uden s ace bo h
in e nal and ex e nal s esso s ha signi ican ly challenge hei men al heal h; and
hi d, while he use o well-being se ices a ied, hose who accessed campus
esou ces equen ly epo ed posi i e impac s on hei well-being.
These indings ca y impo an implica ions o he enginee ing educa ion communi y.
They call o a cul u al shi whe e high s ess and subop imal men al heal h a e no
longe iewed as inhe en o he unde g adua e enginee ing expe ience. By
unde s anding s uden s’ pe cep ions o s esso s and men al heal h which can a y
ac oss uni e si y campuses, and how hese ac o s in luence help-seeking beha io ,
we can de ise p oac i e in e en ions o suppo s uden wellness. Fu he mo e,
explo ing how campus cul u e shapes help-seeking decisions—and iden i ying he
ba ie s ha impede access o suppo —will be c ucial o de eloping u u e men al
heal h, s ess managemen , and wellness ini ia i es. Ul ima ely, ans o ming he
no ms and expec a ions a ound s ess and men al heal h can pa e he way o
enhanced pe sonal and p o essional success o enginee ing s uden s.
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A mi age, L., Bou ne, M., Di Simone, J., Jones, A., & Nea e, S. (2020). Enginee ing
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