According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), "psychological flexibility" refers to an individual's ability to maintain mindful awareness of his or her thoughts and emotions in the present moment while behaving according to his or her personal values. Psychological inflexibility could set the foundation for emotional distress and…

At the intersection of college and work is a complex transition that graduates face every day. Lower levels of college to career transition self-efficacy (CTSE) and lower levels of perceived adulthood may cause a more difficult transition. In this mixed-method study we sought to better understand the relationships among perceived adulthood, CTSE,…

Although scholars know an increasing amount about the benefits of self-control and grit for college students, they know less about what influences self-control and grit in students. In this study we examined influences on self-control and a key element of grit in a national sample of college students. Results indicated that 5 of the 13 predictor…

The ability to understand and incorporate other perspectives into one's own perspective is an important overarching outcome of higher education and a necessary precursor for the development of most higher-order learning outcomes. Utilizing a multi-institutional survey of 21,548 college seniors, we examined background characteristics and…

This study examined college counseling experiences and academic outcomes. About 10% of college students seek counseling for mental health needs, and many would be unable to persist without support. Building on previous research, the research found that participating in counseling was beneficial to academic success. Students who visited the…

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…

The purposes of this study were to identify factors of midlevel student affairs administrators' professional identity and to examine the association of those factors to career commitment, career entrenchment, and demographic characteristics. Principal axis factor analysis derived 3 dimensions of professional identity: career contentment, community…

Previous studies have reported that international students in the US experience unique difficulties and acculturative stress related to cultural differences, language barriers, academic pressure, and interpersonal relationships (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992). Berry, Kim, Minde, and Mok (1987) defined this "acculturative stress" as…

The authors examined the impact of a peer-based personal stories intervention on intergroup anxiety (i.e., self-focused and other-focused anxiety) and social distance. They hypothesized that the college students who attend the personal stories program (intervention group) will have significantly reduced anxiety overall and reduced social distance…

We examined the relationship between university outcome expectations and student adjustment using 2 samples of business students. Study 1 (N = 135) reveals that, for students with high academic self-efficacy, outcome expectations had a positive association with satisfaction; in contrast, for students with low academic self-efficacy, outcome…

In this study, the authors propose and test a model of professional identity development among early career student affairs professionals. Using survey data from 173 new professionals (0-5 years of experience), factor analysis revealed 3 dimensions of professional identity: commitment, values congruence, and intellectual investment. Multivariate…

Undergraduate students who are the first in their immediate family to go to college represent a unique population on campus deserving special attention to their educational and career development needs. We explored career development characteristics of first-generation college students and compared them to those who are not first-generation, using…

For this study we identified factors exerting significant influence on homesickness and explored the impact of the homesick experience on students' academic performance and retention in the first year in college. The findings reveal 2 constructs underlying the homesickness scale: homesick separation and homesick distress. Demographic variables…

We surveyed 237 first-time college students to examine the extent to which social-cognitive factors--self-efficacy, perceptions of mentorship, high school GPA, ACT scores, first-semester college GPA, and demographic characteristics-- influence freshmen's intent to persist. Standard multiple regression and MANOVA were conducted to determine the…

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…