Graduate students occupy social positions within institutions of higher education that are rife with role strain and, relative to broader power relations within these institutions, are marginalized. In this study, we inquire how the social positions and concomitant roles of graduate students shape their mental health experiences, investigating potential institutional sources of stress. Our findings suggest that master’s and doctoral students have unique mental health concerns related to their roles and social positions as graduate students. Major institutional sources of stress include role strain, mentor relationships, isolation, and funding.

The Standard North American Family (SNAF) refers to the dominant family schema in North America. It consists of a heterosexual legally married couple and any children who co‐reside in the same household. The father is a breadwinner and the mother may work for pay but is mainly responsible for care and household labor.

Emotional labor refers to workers' management of their emotions according to organizational feeling and emotion display rules. When managing their emotions in interactions, workers either display emotions they do not actually feel or try to make themselves feel an expected emotion. To manage feelings, individuals may use cognitive, bodily, and expressive techniques. Frontline service occupations involve high levels of emotional labor. Gender, race, and class shape the expected emotional displays of individuals in the workplace. In addition, emotional labor, particularly surface acting, may have negative consequences for individuals' psychological well‐being.