The Perceived Impact of Political Divisiveness: Mental Health, Classroom Climate, and Coping Strategies of BSW Students

Background and Purpose: Extensive research has explored political divisiveness in the United States and its varying impact. However, there is limited research on how political divisiveness impacts the mental health and relationships of college students. This paper addresses this gap by examining the perceived impact of political divisiveness on Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students and exploring how students cope with these effects.

Methods: The authors conducted a mixed methods survey with BSW students at a large, public Midwestern university (n = 71).Participants were predominantly female (78.9% female, 16.9% male, 1.4% non-binary, 2.8% prefer not to say), white (46.5% white, 31% African American, 19.7% Hispanic/Latino, 2.8% Asian), heterosexual (74.6% heterosexual, 4.2% lesbian, 1.4% gay, 14.1% bisexual, 2.8% pansexual, 1.4% queer, and 1.4% prefer not to say), and identified as a democrat (67.6% democrat, 8.5% republican, 5.6% independent, 4.2% libertarian, 5.6% other, and 8.5% prefer not to say). Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. The survey was administered via Qualtrics, and included a mix of quantitative and qualitative questions. Descriptive statistics, including frequency analysis, were analyzed using SPSS version 31. Qualitative responses were assessed using thematic analysis.

Findings: Findings indicate that most participants believe political divisiveness has a somewhat negative (n=45) or significantly negative impact (n=18) on their mental health. While over 70% of participants felt very comfortable (n=24) or somewhat comfortable (n=27) expressing their political views in social work classes, a notable minority did not feel comfortable doing so. Qualitative responses suggest that fear of backlash contributes to classroom self-censorship. One participant noted, “It is hard to be in social work right now, when it feels as if we can’t have freedom of speech. Our professors also can’t say what they feel for fear of being reprimanded even for things that are true.” Another respondent stated, “After seeing a professor was fired, it makes me nervous to speak about current issues, when it's our job ethically to speak out. It makes me question what will happen next.”

Participants reported emotional distress related to political instability, violence, and policies impacting marginalized communities. Participated stated that their mental health has been impacted by, “The constant images and videos of people being mistreated by federal law enforcement and the mistreatment of other marginalized communities”, "worried about my family being detained by ICE”, and “...the instability of jobs, the economy, funding for college...” Despite these challenges, participants demonstrate resilience. Common coping strategies identified by participants were engaging in self-care practices, leaning on social supports, and disconnecting from social media.

Conclusion and Implications: The findings highlight the influence that political divisiveness has on student well-being and classroom dynamics. Students may not feel comfortable speaking up due to fear of backlash, which could negatively impact classroom engagement and learning opportunities. The findings indicate that social work educators need to address the impact that political divisiveness has on students in order to facilitate meaningful classroom conversations and support student learning.