The Stress of Passing Through an Educational Bottleneck: A Longitudinal Study of Psychology Honours Students

ObjectiveAn educational bottleneck occurs when students enter a phase of their training in which progression is highly competitive and determined by academic performance. We hypothesised that educational bottlenecks have a negative impact on student wellbeing, and investigated six potential protective factors.MethodA mixed‐method approach was used to explore the hitherto unstudied impact of bottlenecks on student wellbeing in a sample of psychology honours students at two time points: at the time of research thesis submission and a month later after grades had been awarded.ResultsAt the time of submission, honours students experienced high levels of psychological distress and low wellbeing relative to student norms, with 49% scoring in the clinical range for depression. Higher‐achieving students had the lowest wellbeing at the time of submission. Wellbeing had improved substantially 1 month later, except among students who received a disappointing grade. Perceived control over academic outcomes and having multiple group memberships from which to draw social support were found to be most important factors for protecting student mental health.ConclusionEducational bottlenecks are associated with reduced student wellbeing. Higher‐achieving students, those who feel little control over their academic outcomes, and those who lack social group memberships are at highest risk.