2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering’s Stress Culture and Student Well-Being: A Systematized Review

Presented at Student Mental Well-Being and Engineering Stress Culture

In this full empirical study, we conducted a systematized literature review to answer the research question: In what ways has the literature discussed the relationship between mental health and engineering culture? Engineering culture is known to have a detrimental effect on student success and attitudes, including mental health. The mental health crisis is having a significant effect on college students across the nation, with added effects for engineering students. We wonder what role engineering culture has on mental health more holistically, given the large body of literature on one or both topics in engineering education. Using a systematic process, we ran a Boolean query across three databases (Education Source, ASEE PEER, and IEEE FIE) and identified n=176 records. After removing duplicates, we screened papers against our exclusion and inclusion criteria and reviewed the full texts. In total, n=48 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers met the inclusion criteria. After using a structured and documented review process we identified five themes: (1) engineering has a stress culture, (2) there is a cultural stigma and silence around mental health, (3) faculty can impact mental health through their own empathy or indifference, (4) there are specific effects on students with marginalized identities, and (5) structural and pedagogical interventions can shape mental health.Findings from this review show that engineering students report a higher level of stress, anxiety, and depression compared to other students in other fields, and that cultural norms in engineering exacerbate mental health concerns and discourage help-seeking. At the same time, faculty behavior and institutional practices play a crucial role in shaping students' experiences and the overall engineering culture. Marginalized students face additional, unique challenges, and evidence suggests that structural and pedagogical changes can improve their outcomes. This work highlights the need for cultural change in engineering education to promote student well-being.

Authors

Mrs. Fatemeh Sadat Mirmahdi Rowan University
Dr. Justin Charles Major http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3111-8509 Rowan University [biography]

Dr. Justin C. Major (they/them) is an Assistant Professor of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University where they leads ASPIRE Lab (Advancing Student Pathways through Inequality Research in Engineering). Justin’s research focuses on low-income students, engineering belonging and marginalization mechanisms, adverse childhood experiences, and feminist approaches to EER, and connects these topics to broader understandings of student success in engineering. Justin completed their Ph.D. in Engineering Education (’22) and M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics (’21) at Purdue University, and two B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Secondary Mathematics Education at the University of Nevada, Reno (’17). Atop their education, Justin is a previous NSF Graduate Research Fellow and has won over a dozen awards for research, service, and activism related to marginalized communities, including the 2020 ASEE ERM Division Best Diversity Paper for their work on test anxiety. As a previous homeless and food-insecure student, Justin is eager to challenge and change engineering engineering education to be a pathway for socioeconomic mobility and broader systemic improvement rather than an additional barrier.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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