Inside the Handbag

A Closer Look at the Needs and Concerns Carried by College Women

Presenters Kara Cattani, Ph.D. LaNae Valentine, Ph.D. Melissa Jones, Ph.D. Anna Packard, Ph.D. Rebecca Johnson

Why the Study? To help Counseling & Psychological

Services and Women’s Services & Resources promote greater responsiveness to the needs of women on campus

Outreach Prevention Education Programming Services

Purpose of Study To evaluate the emotional distress,

physical health, relationships, and career needs of women on campus

To assess what services and resources BYU women are using and what services are lacking.

Participants 51 women at BYU between the ages of 18-

49 Mean age 23.06; Modal age 20 33 Caucasian, 7 Latina, 1 African, 7

Polynesian, 4 multi-ethnic 40 Single, 10 Married, 1 Divorced 7 Sophomores, 15 Juniors, 22 Seniors, 7

Graduate Students Recruited by a booth in the student center Given $20 and pizza for their participation

Focus Groups Five 90 minute focus groups Researchers were group leaders Self-directed, leaders would prompt

with questions on protocol sheet if needed› i.e. “What are your main concerns at this

time in your life?” › “What is it like to be a woman at BYU?”

Data Analysis Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2011) Participants’ identities were dummy-coded Focus groups transcribed Coded into Domains

› Reviewed each transcript to see what topic areas naturally arise from the interview data (inductive approach)

› Each person did individually, then reached consensus Coded each Domain into Core Ideas

› Summaries of the data that capture the essence of the participants’ statements in fewer words

› Worked together as a team

Four Domains

1. Identity 2. Emotional, Mental, & Physical

Health3. Relationships4. Women’s Roles

Domain 1: Identity Core Ideas:1. Women struggle with perfectionism.2. Women struggle with body image.3. Women struggle to identify with

perceived social or cultural norms.

IdentityCore Idea 1: Women struggle with perfectionism.

Identity: Perfectionism“Perfectionism on steroids here. More than in any college. You have an entire 23,000 student body of perfectionists. I have to be MORE perfect than you! So…you put a lot more pressure on yourself, even though maybe not everyone expects you to put that kind of pressure, but it’s really hard, especially if you come in with the best grades, great scholarships…it’s like, ok, so I’m now a small fish in a really, really big pond.”

Identity: Not Special Anymore “I think it’s hard going from where you’re the lead in the musical and you’re all of these things, and then you come here and so what? I know it’s not special anymore. You’re just like everybody else.”

Identity: Comparisons“But the culture seems to breed - are you doing your best? Are you really measuring up? Are you good enough? All those kind of thoughts. Whether it be body image or your intellect, or how you dress and look, your style, just anything about you and other people and seeing how successful other people are versus yourself.”

Identity: Comparisons“All the women I talk to come here and feel like, ‘wow, I’m so bad,’ when others are looking at them saying, ‘I’m so bad compared with you.’ I feel like there’s so many different outlets…I got married and I felt so good about all these things I’d registered for for my house, then I go visit teach somebody…and I was like oh my gosh. We’re gonna go home and rethink my house now. It kind of doesn’t really end.”

Identity: Comparisons“So what if you have runny eggs and burnt toast? I think we get stuck in this comparing our weaknesses to other peoples’ strengths, and then it’s not even on the same level at all which is really terrible for us to do to ourselves, but we do it a lot.”

Identity Core Idea 2: Women struggle with body

image.

Identity: Body Image“I just look around campus and I’m like, ‘Gosh, everyone is like smaller and cuter and blonder than me’ [laughter]. But I do think a lot of girls feel this really heavy pressure to look a certain way, not necessarily be a certain physical type, but just to be like super pretty and everything has to be perfect, and if you’re not that, then guys are like ‘What’s wrong with that one?’ [laughter].”

Identity: Health or Beauty?“I think we cover it up a lot with ‘I’m concerned about being healthy.’ That’s all well and good, but I think our motivation is to get skinny, not to get healthy.”

…..“I think sometimes, too, we can go the other way, where we stick a stigma on people that are trying to be healthier, because then it’s like ‘Do you have a problem with your body? Because you should love yourself the way you are. Love your shape. Why are you doing that?’”

IdentityCore Idea 3: Women struggle to identify with perceived social or cultural norms.

Identity: Cultural Norms“People would talk slowly ‘cuz they thought I couldn't speak English.”

…..“It’s really hard being on such a white

campus, especially when it comes to dating, because you’re totally overlooked a lot of the time.”

Identity: Stereotypes

“I am married, and I feel like at BYU there is a certain ‘married person leprosy’. . .BYU encourages you to get married but once you are married it is like ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’ so you feel like an outcast.”

Identity: Stereotypes“People want you to go out and get your education but deep down inside they are like ‘get your education but someday you are just going to stay home.”

…..“It’s not very outward that they say that but in the back of their minds, this girl’s just going to get her degree and go have a family; it doesn’t matter.”

Identity: Stereotypes “There’s a lot of pressure to like, date,

and get married, get out of this stage of your life and get on to that next stage. And that can be kind of frustrating to me because it’s like stereotypically, the average BYU co-ed supposedly gets asked out on dates all the time, and when that’s not happening to you, you start to wonder, what’s wrong with me? That can be kind of frustrating.”

Identity: Stereotypes“I’m 24 and in BYU speed, being 24 and single is like, better start buying cats [laughter].”

Domain 2: Emotional, Mental, & Physical Health Core Ideas:

1. Women find that the stresses of school affect their overall health.

2. Women dealing with emotional, mental, or physical issues struggle to find a way to cope.

3. Women feel there is a stigma attached to seeking for help with their problems.

Health

Core Idea 1: Women find that the stresses of school affect their overall health.

Health: Stress“I think it’s all a cycle. For me, the number one thing...is stress and stress management because I know when I’m stressed I eat badly. When you eat badly, you gain weight, and then you feel negative about yourself. It’s just like a cycle to me and I think especially as students right now.”…..

“I would love to eat healthy and exercise but it’s just not enough time.  It’s awful!”

Health Core Idea 2: Women dealing with emotional, mental, or physical issues struggle to find a way to cope.

Health: Depression“I think depression is one of the main things. It's hard when you're in such a closed environment and you're away from your family; you're not close to your family, it's hard. You have roommates that are in relationships that are going great and you're not, or whatever, or you just don't feel like you get along with your roommates...it can be hard to be happy all the time.”

Health: Coping“I was really depressed and kind of stopped functioning, but I couldn’t point to any reason why- nothing traumatic happened, there was nothing. I just was. So I had to kind of let go of that assumption that I needed a reason to come here [the counseling center]. I didn’t need a reason. I just needed help.”

Health: Eating Disorders“I've seen several girls in different capacities who are dealing with either depression or eating disorders…Based on the number of my personal acquaintances who have dealt with it, I would guess that there are a lot of people out there who are maybe dealing with that on some level and not accessing the resources that they need because they may not know that they're there, or may not know that it's ok and really important to do that.”

Health

Core Idea 3: Women feel there is a stigma attached to seeking for help with their problems.

Health: Therapy is Weird“I feel a little bit awkward just walking in, ‘I need some help,’ because I feel like oh, am I psycho or something?”…..

“Therapy is weird, it’s only for like crazy people, but I’ve talked to my family about getting help with family issues, and I think they think it’s weird; it’s taboo to even mention you should to go see a counselor.”

Health: Counseling Stigma“So it’s definitely a hard balance to try to find how can you get people to not feel intimidated by it [counseling]...I think it’s a barrier, getting people in beforehand, before problems become depression or become really serious, anxiety or something or you bottom out. That’s definitely an issue on campus.”

Health: Counseling Stigma “I haven’t really shared this- it’s kind of

personal- but I have sought out counseling and stuff, and therapy, and it has made a world of difference...I don’t know why I don't share it more with my friends. I guess I am kind of embarrassed, in a way, that I have seen a counselor and stuff, but I wish when I hear my friends’ concerns, I’ve recommended it. I recommend it to anyone, just going and talking. It helps so much.”

Domain 3: RelationshipsCore Ideas:1. The pressure to date and marry causes

anxiety among some women.2. Concerns within dating relationships

may cause anxiety among women. 3. Women are concerned about their

relationships with close family members, friends, and roommates, in addition to dating relationships.

RelationshipsCore Idea 1: The pressure to date causes anxiety among some women.

Relationships: Always a Concern

“But dating is always a concern.  It’s always stressful; it’s something we talk about all the time.”

…..

“My dinner group last term, that was the subject of every single dinner conversation.”

Relationships: Nagging pressure“So it is something...always kind of

lingering there at the back of my head because it is part of...the culture and society in this area, whether or not we want it to be. It’s just like nagging every time you see a bridal fair or have a roommate who's engaged…so it is always there, and not always in a positive way.”

Relationships: Comparisons (again)

“I think a lot of the body image concerns are tied with dating, too, because people who feel like they don’t get asked out can say ‘I’m nice and I’m smart’ but the one thing you can’t really control is how you look so it’s easier to blame that for why you might not be dating. Because there’s this culture of dating; things become shallow and superficial...I remember freshmen year in the dorms thinking, all these girls have prom hair everyday!”…..

“I don’t know, sometimes I feel like it’s [dating] a competitive sport.”

Relationships: Mr. Whoever“A lot of girls will get married around this age, but if you don’t, whatever. There’s a time and a season for everything, and if certain things don’t work out now, then you keep moving on. You can’t sit around waiting for Mr. Whoever to come save you. ‘Cuz he does nothing.”

RelationshipsCore Idea 2: Concerns within dating relationships may cause anxiety among women.

Relationships: Pleasing the guy“They [women] think we have to please the guy by making out with them or being physical and so the guys kind of use that. And it takes several times of this, sometimes, for the young women to get wise to it, to just finally decide, I’m done. I’m not gonna follow that manipulation thing. But in the meanwhile, the feelings are constantly getting hurt...girls that date and feel like they have to make out to make the guy happy, to keep the relationship going.”

Relationships: Concerns “I think about it [marriage] too and I

worry about that. I mean, my parents split up when I was really young and so I worry about, like, am I even equipped to get married? Do I know what a good healthy marriage looks like? I didn't really grow up seeing how a good marriage operates and so that causes anxiety for me.”

RelationshipsCore Idea 3: Women are concerned about their relationships with family members, friends, and roommates, in addition to dating relationships.

Relationships: Family“The baby was only three when I left so a lot has changed over that time and my family's not the greatest at communication, and so that's been a big challenge - learning how to maintain those relationships when I'm only there once a year, twice a year.”

Relationships: Friends“I think the focus on dating can make it harder to even just like have friends too because it’s so okay, am I interested in you? Ok, next, next, next..and so we forget about people as people sometimes.”

…..“I think it’s hard to make deep friendships, too, at BYU, because it seems like people are changing all the time, people are moving all the time, semester changes, classes change. It can be really difficult to make friends with people and stay friends with them for longer than just a couple months or whatever.”

Relationships: Roommates“I don't feel like I'm  very well-equipped to help people and I don't know what to tell them…I don't know what to tell my roommates when they come home just like crying about broken engagements and things like that-  what can you do?”

Domain 4: Women’s RolesCore Ideas:1. Women struggle with the question of

how to balance family life with their educational goals.

2. Women sometimes feel that they are not given social support in these decisions.

3. Women sometimes feel that they are not given institutional support in these decisions.

Women’s RolesCore Idea 1: Women struggle with the question of how to balance family life with their educational goals.

Roles: A Place in Society“I obviously need it [a career] because I need the money and stuff, to be able to support myself.  But I also want a career because I want to feel like I have a place in society and that I’m doing something meaningful and important.”

Roles: Finding a Balance“My biggest concern now is marriage and career, because I want both and so I don’t know how that will work together.”

…..“How do I invest in a job or career but not invest so much so that my heart is broken when I have to leave it to have kids?  How do I find that balance?”

Women’s RolesCore Idea 2: Women sometimes feel that they are not given social support in these decisions.

Roles: Social Stigma“But you know...we do want to do something that we can have a career with but I’m not ashamed to say that I wanna stay home with my kids, I just don’t think we should have so much stigma against it.”

Roles: Social Stigma“I feel a lot of times in the [Elementary Education] major that things are kind of dumbed down because we’re like ‘those people who just want to be moms’ and what’s something we can do that we can do while being a mom? Actually, that’s not the reason I chose that major and there are a lot of really intelligent girls that I think are being kind of pushed to the side, like, ‘Oh you’re just going to be a teacher, or a mom’...that really bothers me.”

Roles: Social Stigma“I feel like there’s negative stigmas with both, especially in the Church, because if you do want a career then people are like, ‘Oh, well she obviously doesn’t understand her proper place.’ And I feel like sometimes it just leaves you either leaning to one extreme or the other because it’s hard to find the middle ground…there’s always someone judging you on either side.”

Roles: Social Acceptance“Even though I feel pressure that you’re supposed to have kids right away, it’s more of an ideological pressure, I mean being here at BYU you see people making all sorts of different choices about that, so you feel support no matter what choice you decide to make, a bunch of other people who’ve made the same choice.”

Women’s RolesCore Idea 3: Women sometimes feel that they are not given institutional support in these decisions.

Roles: Institutional Support“I feel like I’m getting a mixed message. Like, you need to get an education and settle down, but we aren’t really gonna help you in doing both of that.”

Roles: Institutional Support“I thought there were a lot of other pre-med girls at BYU, and it's like less than ten per cent…but I just thought that was kind of great for me. I'm like the only girl in my chemistry lab…If anything, I get more help than the average guy. I feel like all the professors are really supportive of me…so as an institution, lots of support.”

Arthur Chickering’s Developmental Model

Seven Vectors (from Education and Identity, 1993)› Developing competence› Managing emotions› Moving through autonomy towards

independence› Developing mature interpersonal relationships› Establishing identity› Developing purpose› Developing integrity

1. Developing Competence Emotions are brought to the surface

when performance and projects are on display for others’ approval or criticism.› Addressed in 4 of the 5 focus groups› Comparisons with others & perfectionism

2. Managing Emotions Anxiety, anger, depression, desire,

guilt, and shame can disturb the educational process if they are excessive or overwhelming. › Addressed in 4 focus groups› Mental illness, counseling stress, coping

3. Moving through autonomy towards independence

Separation from parents proceeds through reliance on peers, other adults, and institutional reference groups. › Addressed in all 5 focus groups› Living with roommates, friends, conflicts,

accessing resources

4. Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships

There is a shift in the quality of relationships with intimates and close friends because of an increased capacity for intimacy.› Addressed in all 5 focus groups› Relationships, dating, marriage

5. Establishing Identity Involves: comfort with body and appearance,

comfort with gender and sexual orientation, sense of self in a social, historical, and cultural context, clarification of self-concept through roles and lifestyle, sense of self in response to feedback from valued others, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and personal stability and integration. › Addressed in all 5 focus groups› Body image, eating disorders, learning about

self, weight, culture, femininity

6. Developing Purpose Requires making plans and establishing

priorities that integrate vocational plans and aspirations, personal interests, and interpersonal and family commitments.› Addressed in 4 focus groups› Career choice, major, serving missions, goal-

setting› “Figuring out where I should go to grad school, if I

should go, how I pay for it, like all of those things. Three years ago graduation was the end point and now it's just the Pandora’s Box full of new challenges.”

7. Developing Integrity Individuals select guidelines to suit

themselves and to suit the conditions of their lives. › Addressed in 3 focus groups› Spirituality, conformity, integrity with honor

code› “I think for me having some extremes, so

many people pulling everywhere…You get to that point when you need to say, ‘This is me. This is what I want. This is where I’m going.’”

ConclusionsStudents tend to struggle with Identity – Perfectionism, body image,

social and cultural norms Health – Physical, emotional, and

mental burdens Relationships – Pressure in dating and

social relationships, family, friends Women’s Roles – Balance, social and

institutional support

Resources WantedStudents want more resources Improved academic counseling Safety- “to feel empowered instead of just

scared” Women mentors Support for education as well as family

goals (daycare, breastfeeding rooms) Education for recognizing unhealthy

relationships More focus groups

Primary Prevention “I also just thought of this - teaching men about

what maybe intimidates women, that they don’t recognize or they just think is funny. Like, I  have a friend…where the guys were intimidating this woman, and she was probably afraid she was about to get gang raped and they thought they were just having a good time. So you can’t necessarily reach those men, but you can reach their friends and just kind of do little things to start changing the culture of how men and women interact. Talking to men helps women.”

Focus Group PraiseIn almost every group, there was unsolicited praise of the opportunity to discuss these issues.

“And you know, when you get women from different age groups and different backgrounds...you get perspective and you start feeling so much support and like, I am not alone!  Someone understands me, and so here’s my voice, someone’s willing to hear my voice!”

Discussion What does your Counseling Center or

University do to promote women’s health in these areas?

The End Utah University & College Counseling

Centers Conference October 28, 2011