Abstract

This study examined graduate students' experiences with social support in relation to stress and uncertainty during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Graduate students as a population have significant levels of stress and uncertainty which may have negative effects on their lives and academic experiences. Graduate students often utilize social support as a way to cope with or mitigate the effects of stress and uncertainty. This qualitative study consisted of six focus groups, ranging from three to six participants, total of 22 participants, who were found using a purposeful snowball sampling method. The participants were masters and doctoral level students in communication graduate programs. Findings were made using thematic analysis which identified main themes of; stress, uncertainty, social support, the program, and feelings words. Findings were also examined through the lens of Relational Dialectics and found evidence of openness-closedness, autonomy-connection, and novelty-predictability. Implications, limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed in chapter five.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Parrish, Adam

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Nicholson School of Communication and Media

Degree Program

Communication

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008536; DP0024212

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0024212

Language

English

Release Date

5-15-2021

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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Included in

Communication Commons

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