Title
Investigating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program's Impact on Public Service Employees
Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program has garnered attention in the media in recent months, primarily in reaction to recent program reforms. Public service employees have struggled to navigate the PSLF program since its formation in 2007, which is complex, tedious, and time consuming. While some relief has been granted, many more face uncertainty as to whether or when their loans will be forgiven. Coupled with the fact that many individuals feel shame and stigma for having loans in the first place and for seeking loan forgiveness, the PSLF process can take a negative toll on individuals and in turn, negatively impact a wide variety of personal, social, and work outcomes. For this study, we surveyed individuals pursuing PSLF and assessed a variety of emotional responses to the loan forgiveness process and a variety of well-being outcomes. We hypothesize that individuals who are enrolled in the PSLF program will have more negative emotional responses to the loan forgiveness program than positive emotional responses. We hypothesize negative emotions about the PSLF process will be positively correlated with a) levels of depression and b) feeling like a burden on their family. Additionally, we will explore the size of the loan to be forgiven and number of years spent pursuing loan forgiveness in these relationships. This study is a beginning phase of our research agenda, wherein our goal is to explore and understand how enrollment in the PSLF program conflicts with one’s time, contributes to personal strain, lack of autonomy, and coping attempts to handle the program alongside their life demands. Participants were recruited to complete an online survey from social media pages associated with PSLF and data collection is still ongoing, with 116 participants to date. Data are being analyzed using correlation and regression analyses in SPSS. Implications of this study include gaining a greater understanding of the emotional impacts of the PSLF program on public service employees. Further, this work aims to spark a call to action for the PSLF program, as it is in dire need of further reform to decrease the enrolled individuals’ negative outcomes, in both the personal and work spheres. Policy implications would also include devising tactics and establishing resources for public servants to mitigate their depressive symptoms and improve their overall mental health. Such improvements would not only help the public service employees, but also their communities that they are serving.
Date
October 2022
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poster
Included in
Investigating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program's Impact on Public Service Employees
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program has garnered attention in the media in recent months, primarily in reaction to recent program reforms. Public service employees have struggled to navigate the PSLF program since its formation in 2007, which is complex, tedious, and time consuming. While some relief has been granted, many more face uncertainty as to whether or when their loans will be forgiven. Coupled with the fact that many individuals feel shame and stigma for having loans in the first place and for seeking loan forgiveness, the PSLF process can take a negative toll on individuals and in turn, negatively impact a wide variety of personal, social, and work outcomes. For this study, we surveyed individuals pursuing PSLF and assessed a variety of emotional responses to the loan forgiveness process and a variety of well-being outcomes. We hypothesize that individuals who are enrolled in the PSLF program will have more negative emotional responses to the loan forgiveness program than positive emotional responses. We hypothesize negative emotions about the PSLF process will be positively correlated with a) levels of depression and b) feeling like a burden on their family. Additionally, we will explore the size of the loan to be forgiven and number of years spent pursuing loan forgiveness in these relationships. This study is a beginning phase of our research agenda, wherein our goal is to explore and understand how enrollment in the PSLF program conflicts with one’s time, contributes to personal strain, lack of autonomy, and coping attempts to handle the program alongside their life demands. Participants were recruited to complete an online survey from social media pages associated with PSLF and data collection is still ongoing, with 116 participants to date. Data are being analyzed using correlation and regression analyses in SPSS. Implications of this study include gaining a greater understanding of the emotional impacts of the PSLF program on public service employees. Further, this work aims to spark a call to action for the PSLF program, as it is in dire need of further reform to decrease the enrolled individuals’ negative outcomes, in both the personal and work spheres. Policy implications would also include devising tactics and establishing resources for public servants to mitigate their depressive symptoms and improve their overall mental health. Such improvements would not only help the public service employees, but also their communities that they are serving.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology