ERIC Number: EJ1482540
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Oct
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: EISSN-1557-5144
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Measurement and Predictive Invariance of Social Support and Psychological Distress among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students
Lauren K. Allen1; Jacy G. Murdock1; Gloria S. Moctezuma-Palma1; Tyler M. Barnes1; Adam P. Natoli1
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v43 n7 p699-720 2025
Social support and psychological distress should be regularly measured when conducting assessments with college students. However, the psychological impact of stressors experienced by college students is subjective and major differences exist between first- and continuing-generation college students where first-generation students typically present with greater distress. One differentiating construct is the protective factor of social support. Assessment efforts in college student populations require psychometrically robust measures of social support and psychological distress. This exploratory study evaluated (1) social support and psychological distress for first- and continuing-generation college students, and (2) the measurement and predictive invariance of two social support measures between student groups in the context of psychological distress. Results offer preliminary evidence supporting the measurement and predictive invariance of both instruments, suggesting they perform equally well in first- and continuing-generation students when used to predict psychological distress. Follow-up analyses revealed group differences in social support and psychological distress, but that associations between these constructs are similar between first- and continuing-generation students.
Descriptors: First Generation College Students, College Students, Social Support Groups, Anxiety, Prediction, Student Attitudes, Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Brief Symptom Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

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