First-year university students encounter considerable academic stress, possibly resulting in mental health problems. Although studies have illustrated the academic and health benefits of sense of belonging, few studies have focused on its role in the relationship between academic stress and mental health complaints. The current study used…

This study explored factors related to college adjustment in nonresidential first-year students. It was hypothesized that stress, family functioning, and coping strategies would predict academic, personal-emotional, and social adjustment in addition to institutional attachment. The sample comprised 167 first-year college students (ages 18-23)…

This study utilized a quality of life framework of psychosocial adaptation to explore relationships among college stress, functional limitations, coping strategies, and perceived social suport in adjustment to college among first-year and second-year undergraduate students with disabilities, based on specific hypothesized relations. College…

The authors examined 83 Latino undergraduates to determine whether perceived social support of friends mediates the role of intragroup marginalization on acculturative stress and college adjustment. A mediation effect was found for college adjustment but not for acculturative stress. Results highlight the importance of friends for college…

A purposive sample (2 males, 3 females) of students (aged 18-29 years) with chronic illness completed standardized measures and a semi-structured interview. Content analysis of the interview data revealed two themes: stress exacerbating symptoms of illness and a desire for a support group on campus. Viewed through the theory of emerging adulthood,…

Objective: This study examined the relationships among meaning making, military stressor severity, and adjustment to college among student service members/veterans (SSM/Vs). Participants: Participants were 128 SSM/Vs enrolled in postsecondary education from April to June 2016. Methods: Participants completed online self-report rating scales of…

The transition from school to the institute of higher learning is a challenging phase that requires students to adapt to new environments and cultures. This study aimed to explore the adaptation experiences of first-year students at the Institute of Teacher Education by using storytelling through drawing. This study involved 18 students pursuing…

Context: Research has indicated that returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans are experiencing mental health concerns following deployment. Increasing numbers of veterans are enrolling in higher education institutions; there is a scarcity of empirical research investigating student veterans' experiences as…

This study employed confirmatory factor analysis to examine the quality of fit of two measurement models of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (N = 305). Following the observation of poor fit, exploratory factor analysis was used. Results indicated six factors that account for the variance in Student Adaptation to College…

Married undergraduate students were compared with single students on the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. Results indicated that married students have moderate difficulties adjusting to the demands of higher education relative to unmarried students. Findings underscore the importance of university counselors being prepared to help…

University/college can be a challenging time as students face developmental tasks such as building new social networks and achieving academically. Social anxiety may be disadvantageous in this setting given that social situations often include drinking and individuals with social anxiety tend to self-medicate through alcohol use. However, findings…

A new scale, the Student Perception of University Support and Structure Scale (SPUSS), was developed for research on the transition to university. The scale was based on concepts derived from Baumrind's (1971) theory of parenting styles. Data were obtained from two separate cohorts of freshmen (n=759 and 397) attending six Canadian universities of…

This study examined the relationship between parental attachment, changes in parental attachment, and psychological functioning and adjustment for college freshmen. Twice during the first semester, 271 freshmen completed self-report measures of parental attachment, psychological distress, self-competence, and college adjustment. Higher attachment…