Voices of Students in Crisis: Qualitative Interviews with College Students Hospitalized for Psychiatric Distress

Although the severity of pathology in incoming college students has increased over the last decade, hospitalized students remain an under-researched group at risk for attrition, trauma, suicide, and disconnection with their universities. The present study sought to explore the experiences of hospitalization for college students at a large, public, Southwestern university through a lens of student retention theory, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and institutional betrayal. Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten current or recently graduated students, hospitalized between Fall 2017 and Spring 2021, about their experiences with psychological services prior to hospitalization, the hospitalization process, the hospitalization itself, and post discharge. Interview participants had complex and nuanced experiences with hospitalization. Themes included neutral experiences with psychological services pre-hospitalization, trust/distrust, powerlessness, interpersonal connections, uncertainty, negative perceptions of the university, academic supports, and shifts in perspective. Future clinical and research implications are discussed.