First Advisor

Tina Burdsall

Date of Award

Spring 6-15-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and University Honors

Department

Psychology

Language

English

Subjects

Social Death, Institutional Neglect, Housing Insecurity, Homelessness, Marginalization, College Students

DOI

10.15760/honors.1847

Abstract

Housing and financial insecurity among college students continues to be a growing crisis, yet their lived experiences are often overlooked. This thesis utilizes qualitative research to investigate the emotional, social, and academic experiences of students navigating housing and financial instability. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with six current/former college students who have experience with housing and financial insecurities. During the analysis, recurring patterns were grouped into themes, including the triggers of instability (familial abandonment, rent increases, relationship dissolution, etc), social stigma and internalized shame, emotional and mental health costs, social isolation, survival strategies, food insecurity, work-school balance, disrupted sense of identity, and inconsistent institutional support.

The findings support the theory of social death, as it highlights students' experiences rooted in disenfranchised grief, symbolic exclusion, and the withdrawal of support from both families and institutions. Moreover, the findings suggest that the experience of social death perpetuates a complex, interrelated downward spiral between individuals and society. It begins with the institutional neglect of students' well-being and sense of belonging, which in many cases, negatively affects the trajectory of their lives. On a large scale, this neglect not only harms students individually but furthermore, it deprives society of the contributions that college-educated individuals could have offered if they had been properly supported. As communities become weakened by these losses, they are left with even less capacity to support future students, which feeds the cycle. Ultimately, the study concludes that housing and financial insecurity among college students cannot be understood as individual failings, but rather as systemic failures that require structural solutions.

Comments

An undergraduate honors thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in University Honors and Psychology & Social Science with a minor in Communication.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44780

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