The meaning of education for university students with a psychiatric disability: A grounded theory analysis

In this qualitative study eight university students with mental illness, wh o were attending a large campus, were interviewed, in-depth, is order to ex plore the purpose and goals of their academic program. Three groupings emer ged: students who saw university as a means to an end, part of a larger lif e goal; students who saw university as an end in itself their primary life goal; and those students who, because of the precariousness of their illnes s at the time of the study were situated in between these two groupings. Th e trajectory of the illness, its fluctuating course, its stigma how the stu dents managed their illness, and the support systems in place for them on c ampus and in the community: all affected how they functioned in the student role.