Research Blog #8: Case

The case I will be exploring in order to illustrate by argument is the study "Sick of our loans" (Walsemann et al, 2015) which examines the relationship between loans and early adult mental health. Basically this study looks at how student loans have become increasingly commonplace among college students and that although these loans facilitate the acquisition of human capital in the form of education, they also lead to stress and worries related to repayment. The results of this study found that student loans are associated with poorer psychological functioning while enrolled in school as well as in early adulthood. That is that not only does it increase anxiety during college but this anxiety follows you after graduation as well as the debt.

This case speaks to the debate that I have identified in my proposal because it can be used to provide a link between anxiety and privatization. Students are taking out these loans and dealing with large financial burdens because of the increasing costs of tuition that have been increasing because higher education is no longer scene as a public good but as a private commodity. I will also be using this case as evidence against counter arguments that the stress of college hasn't changed but instead this generation has become socially inept to cope  with the stress.

Another online material that is related to this case is this video from PBS on student debt anxiety: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/student-debt-anxiety-explained-one-video