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…

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…

Using a psychosociocultural (PSC) approach, we examined how self-beliefs, social support, and cultural fit influenced the academic persistence decisions of 115 Latina sorority members. Upper-division Latinas reported higher self-efficacy than lower-division Latinas; however, lower-division students reported higher college stress and more perceived…

Using the Cyberbullying Experiences Survey, we collected data from 1,114 undergraduate students at a large public Southwestern university. In addition to inquiring about students' experiences with bullying, we inquired about the level of distress and the digital medium used. Results showed differences in types of experiences and level of distress…

We investigated the relationship between parent support and peer support as predictors of depression and self-esteem in college students. Several competing models of parental and peer influence were compared including a mediational model in which peer support was hypothesized to mediate the effects of parental support on adjustment. The results…

This study made use of a model of college success that involves students achieving academic goals and life satisfaction. Hierarchical regressions examined the role of six psychosocial factors for college success among 579 first-year college students. Academic self-efficacy and organization and attention to study were predictive of first semester…

We examined the interaction between academic burnout and work-related burnout for a sample of working undergraduate university students. Using a longitudinal design we found that the factors of burnout (Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Efficacy) change significantly over the semester. In addition, the study suggests there are distinct differences in how…

No empirical research has focused solely upon understanding the stress and coping processes of Chinese international students in the United States. This qualitative inquiry examines the individual-level variables that affect the stress-coping process of Chinese international students and how they conceptualize and adapt to their stress at an…

The current study examined the joint effects of stress, social support, and self-esteem on adjustment to university. First-year undergraduate students (N = 115) were assessed during the first semester and again 10 weeks later, during the second semester of the academic year. Multiple regressions predicting adjustment to university from perceived…

Extends research on the centrality model -- an integrative model of stress and cognitive appraisal -- by examining the relationships among achievement, challenge appraisal, and subsequent coping behaviors. Results indicate that the importance of achievement interacted with challenge appraisal to predict both planful problem solving and positive…

Examines the relationship between stressful life events, occurring in the year previous to the study, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among 350 college students. Results indicate that stressful life events were related to poorer HRQOL. Gender did not moderate the relationship between stressful events and HRQOL. (Author/RJM)

Examined effects of stress on depression in female commuter college students (n=106). Results indicate that problem-solving confidence was important moderating variable and suggest that perception of long-term stress directly affects current depression level. Positive long-term experiences seemed to moderate subsequent negative experiences that…

Examined possible relationships between reported work-related stress and organizational and personal variables, hardiness of personality, exercise activity, and organizational culture of 240 student affairs administrators within Minnesota. Results revealed that job satisfaction and hardiness of personality were greatest predictors of lowered…

This study is an investigation of stress and coping among African American students at a predominantly White college/university (PWCU) and a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and their relationship to academic performance. Participants were 203 African American students (101 from a mid-size predominantly White midwestern state…

Examined importance of current student-parent attachment relationships among upperclassmen (n=131). Assessed attachment and multiple aspects of student adjustment at three points within same semester. Attachment to both mother and father consistently was important for daughters' academic, interpersonal, and emotional well-being. For sons,…