Breaking Grad: Building Resilience Among a Sample of Graduate Students Struggling with Stress and Anxiety via a Peer Coaching Model – An 8-Month Pilot Study

R Fried, M Atkins, J Irwin International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring 2019

This mixed methods, 8-month pilot study investigated graduate students’ (n = 11) experiences in Breaking Grad, a peer coaching program derived from mentorship, motivational interviewing, and Co-Active Life Coaching. Offered to address stress and anxiety, while enhancing resilience, participants’ psychosocial experiences of the program were assessed via individual semi-structured interviews and validated questionnaires at pre-, mid-, and immediate post-intervention. Qualitatively, participants viewed the intervention as positively impacting their ability to cope with stress and anxiety and enhancing resilience. Quantitatively, one-way, repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated no statistical significance. The qualitative findings are encouraging. This intervention should be assessed with a larger sample.