Barriers to Advanced STEM Education for Students with Anxiety

Mental health is an essential part of a person's well being that can be greatly impacted by the stresses of school. Those with anxiety and anxiety disorders may have a particularly hard time with focus and motivation in a university setting which may prevent them from pursuing further education, and fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) may seem especially daunting for this group of people. The purpose of this research is to discover barriers those with anxiety disorders face when pursuing advanced degrees in STEM fields. Students attending Arizona State University will be asked questions from the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to gauge their level of anxiety as well as be asked if they have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by a mental health care professional. The survey will delve into how the effects of anxiety and perceptions of STEM affect students' thoughts around pursuing further education. This research found that one of the barriers to pursuing a higher-degree was anxiety’s effect on students' perceptions and confidence in pursuing advanced degrees. It was also found that lack of affordability was a barrier for students in obtaining helpful treatment of anxiety and anxiety disorders. Finally, STEM students were found to be more anxious than their non-STEM peers as well as less likely to access mental health resources. Through this research, a better understanding of the barriers those with anxiety and anxiety disorders face in terms of pursuing a higher degree will be revealed and will allow for awareness and promote greater accessibility within STEM education.