| Combining multiple roles as a student and spouse can greatly impact a student's overall academic
and marital experience. Student spouses act as wives and husbands, sometimes mothers or
fathers, and also have other expectations to fulfill in the family in addition to having to deal with
assignments, tests, or exams. This role strain moderately impacts their academic and college
experience. This study adopted a qualitative research method using semi-structured interviews to
explore the college experience of young married students and how they navigate between
multiple roles and cope with these multiple responsibilities. The results show that the young
married students experience minimal stress that is not different from that of regular single
students. The married students receive a lot of support, particularly from their spouses and
families, which helps them cope with being married students. The study provides
recommendations to universities that aim to improve the college experience, recruitment and
retention, and the graduation rates of married students.
Key Words: Role strain, Multiple roles, College Experience, Stress. |