A qualitative investigation of instructors’ perceived communicative roles in students’ mental health management

ABSTRACT

Drawing on scholarship focused on the concept of emotional labor, this study investigates the communicative role of college instructors in managing their students’ mental health. Interviews with instructors (N = 17) focused on their perceived communicative roles in their students’ mental health management, the communicative techniques they use to address students’ mental health in and outside of the classroom, and the concerns they have in addressing the mental health of their students. Notably, instructors identified four communicative roles they feel comfortable assuming, three overarching communicative techniques utilized in their day-to-day interactions with students, and two primary concerns in addressing students’ mental health. These communicative roles and techniques suggest a continuum of interpersonal engagement and comfort (or lack thereof) in discussing mental health topics with students. Findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to communication and instruction research, their connections to the emotional labor provided by college instructors for their students, and practical implications for university administration.

KEYWORDS:

• college students
• mental health
• emotional labor
• instructor–student communication