How Does Hope Influence the Impact of Student Loan Debt on Adults Living with Bipolar Disorder?

Background. During the 2017-2018 academic year, the average federal student loan amount for undergraduate degree completers was $26,100 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). While these statistics represent average U.S. students, individuals with chronic mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, may face additional challenges that could lengthen the duration of degree completion and thus further increase student loan debt. Research suggest a positive association between financial difficulties and bipolar disorder (Cheema, et. al 2015; Richardson, 2018). The cyclical nature of bipolar disorder results in manic or hypomanic stages, which could heighten the impulsivity for engaging into negative financial behaviors, such as over-indebtedness or not repaying loans on time. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions about student loan debt of users that identify as having a bipolar diagnosis on an online mental health community.

Methods. Data were obtained from an online social platform, Reddit. A total of 83 responses were initially coded and categorized in this transcendental phenomenological study. Student loan debt while managing self-identified bipolar disorder was the phenomena explored in this study. Inclusion criteria for a reduced sample was developed and consisted of excerpts that explicitly stated variations of “bipolar”, “mania” or “manic”, “hypomanic”, and “student debt”. Excerpts from 15 posts were analyzed using In Vivo coding and emotion coding. Significant statements were analyzed and interpreted into broader meaning or themes which summarized the users’ experience of the phenomena.

Results. Themes were developed from the analysis of significant statements and included acceptance, regret, and shame. The textual description of users’ experience having student loan debt while managing bipolar disorder was described as hope, and hopelessness. Hope was identified as a word of encouragement offered to others or towards oneself (e.g., “It’s not hopeless, don’t give up), and hopelessness was defined as expressions of defeat (e.g., “I thought I was doing so well... I’m feeling like I never will be). User posts either sought hope from other members of this online community, posted stories of hope, or shared feelings of hopelessness. User posts that offered hope and those that sought hope were solution-focused about their future and displayed increased self-efficacy. Hopeless users’ posts conveyed guilt and shame about their circumstance and had a fearful and pessimistic view of their future.

Conclusions. The present study supports prior research indicating a positive association between hope and improved mental health outcomes. Hopelessness deterred users from seeking solutions to their multifaceted problems and users resigned to their current unfulfillment. Future longitudinal research would advance this study by investigating the behavioral outcomes of hope and hopelessness with bipolar respondents, especially given the cyclical nature of bipolar disorder.