Fears Unmasked: International Doctoral Student Mothers’ Academic Stressors and Coping Strategies During the Pandemic

As part of a more extensive qualitative study that explored the experiences of International Doctoral Student Mothers (IDSMs) during the global COVID-19 pandemic, this paper presents a cross-section of the data related to their academic stressors and coping strategies. We employed Goode’s Theory of Role Strain (1960) and a deductive and interpretive approach, utilizing NVivo, to analyze data collected through semi-structured interviews. The academic experiences of IDSMs were affected by travel restrictions. They experienced fear of the unknown, lack of familiarity with the U.S. education system, time zone fatigue, information overload, grief due to the death of loved ones, and a desire to protect unborn children. In addition to compartmentalizing, delegating, and relinquishing roles, they employed other strategies, such as engaging in physical activity and practicing spiritual disciplines, to cope. This study confirms that Higher Education Institutions (HEI) need to foster a more fair and supportive academic community by developing inclusive policies and supportive campus environments where instructional procedures and practices support IDSMs’ success.