The Supreme Court’s recent rejection of student loan relief could be making America’s mental health problem worse, according to new research from the University of Georgia.
The study analyzed more than 85,000 student loan-related posts on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter from 2009 through 2020, excluding those from policymakers and political figures. Researchers found high levels of mental distress, including feelings of stress and depression, were associated with student loan debt, performance pressure, and negative academic and personal outcomes.
Sinha emphasized the importance of financial literacy in a person’s ability to emotionally navigate the burden of student loan debt. Currently, only a few countries have introduced financial education courses. But doing so could help future students understand the potential ramifications of their education loans and promote responsible credit use.
Published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, the study was co-authored by Christopher Larrison and Ian Brooks, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Ugur Kursuncu, of Georgia State University.
