IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021 - 54

Feature
test performance [4]. This result is in part due to
the self-consciousness and discouragement that
these stereotypes enforce, resulting in distractions
and anxiety.
Mental health issues among CS students
Struggles with mental health among CS and
engineering students have been documented in
academic studies, university-wide reports, and personal
testimonials-often written with the hope
that addressing this problem will increase overall
satisfaction and therefore increase participation in
the field.
A study at a Brazilian public university that aimed
to verify the prevalence of anxiety and depression
symptoms among CS students indicated that these
symptoms were higher in students from the CS program
than previous findings in the Brazilian general
population and among medical students [5]. Using
the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck
Depression Inventory (BDI) to measure levels of
anxiety and depression symptoms, the study found
that the prevalence of anxiety and depression in
the students were at 51.9% and 64.9%, respectively,
resulting in recommendations for how they may be
able to reduce these symptoms.
In 2014, UC Berkeley's Graduate Assembly published
a Graduate Student Happiness & Well-Being
Report, which stipulated that understanding student
well-being was crucial in enabling graduate students
to do their best work and in increasing productivity,
creativity, physical, and psychological resilience,
among many other positive benefits [6]. The report
discussed the top factors that predict the well-being
of graduate students and surveyed all schools and
colleges on their well-being. When the population
was broken down by the field of study, 43%-46% of
graduate students in the Sciences and in Engineering
scored as depressed, which was a higher rate than
that of students in Law, Social Sciences, and Business.
Personal testimonials of CS students also indicate
the presence of mental health difficulties due
to their being in that field. A staff writer at The Daily
Californian
(Berkeley's
independent,
student-run
newspaper) criticized the " toxic stress culture " surrounding
CS undergraduates, which those around
her said were part of the experience. Frustration and
a " sense of inferiority " led her to question whether
or not she " deserved " a place in the CS program [7].
A contributor to the University of Texas at Austin's
54
CS student blog revealed that mental health is rarely
acknowledged by both the department and students
themselves. In this narrative, the student described
demanding situations that culminated in a diagnosis
of depression. Though their symptoms were first
ignored in favor of meeting deadlines and finishing
projects, the overwhelmed student eventually
reached out for professional support [8].
Describing the stereotype of a
computer scientist
The stereotype of a computer scientist has been
identified using prior literature as technology-oriented,
singularly focused on computers, lacking
interpersonal skills, intelligent, of an unattractive
physical appearance, and masculine [9]. These
facets of a stereotypical computer scientist's identity
have been corroborated by controlled drawing
tasks, analysis of descriptive words or phrases,
media portrayals of computer scientists, and various
forms of data investigations.
Studies have found that these stereotypes are
pervasive across groups of different ages, genders,
and education levels. As early as second grade, girls
hold stereotypes that associate boys being better at
math, a discipline seen as a precursor to engineering,
with research showing that negative stereotypes
about girls' math competency hinder their math
performance [23]. By the time students enter highschool,
stereotypes regarding computer scientists
are not only more frequently endorsed, but also
more closely related to the well-defined descriptors.
College students similarly ascribed specific descriptions
to computer scientists.
Computer scientist stereotypes
create roadblocks
Stereotypes in CS exist, and they have adversely
affected groups by creating barriers for entry into the
field. Research has shown that when participants do
not view themselves as aligned with the expectations of
the stereotypes, negative consequences can occur [10].
A poignant example: females are underrepresented
in CS [11]. This reality is in part due to the fact
that there has been some incongruity between how
females might identify and how typical computer scientists
are perceived. For many years, females have
entered other previously male-dominated fields,
including some of those in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), but when it
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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021

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