College is associated with positive outcomes in adulthood. However, many students with foster care backgrounds face challenges transitioning into college settings. Young adults with foster care backgrounds also experience mental health conditions and suicidal ideation at a higher rate than their same aged peers. This study examined the…

Depression and anxiety are the leading causes of disability in the United States among people aged 18 to 25. Protective factors such as self-esteem, grit, and optimism may help individuals manage depression and anxiety. The present study aimed to understand the role of these factors as predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms in emerging…

Stress is a common experience for university students. Elevated stress with limited healthy coping capabilities may result in students turning to external resources such as substance use (alcohol and drugs) to cope. Undergraduate students (N = 5,917) were surveyed to examine the relationship between perceived stress and engagement in substance use…

Heavy drinking is a prevalent public health problem among college students. Presumed under tension reduction theory, students drink to reduce anxiety. Because rates of anxiety appear to be increasing on campuses, we investigated whether anxiety from the fear of missing out (FoMO) was associated with intentions to drink more so than other types of…

In light of rising academic stress and an increase in diagnosed mental illnesses among adolescents and young adults, this article offers the first comprehensive analysis of relationships between perceived competition and depression/anxiety among college students. Analyses were conducted by using clinically validated instruments for depression and…

Used retrospective reports of family-of-origin cohesion, degree of difficulty in separating from family, and other factors to predict depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and perceived social support during the transition to college. Results demonstrate that family-of-origin experiences affect all three aspects of young adults' college adjustment.…

The present study examines predictors of heavy drinking frequency and drinking-related problems among more than 600 college students. Controlling for high school drinking frequency, results of multiple regression analyses showed that more frequent heavy drinking was predicted by being male and risk factors of more frequent marijuana and tobacco…