Adjustment to college and prediction of depression during post-secondary transition

Testing a diathesis-stress model during the transition to university: Associations between self-criticism, stress, and internalizing problems

ObjectiveTo test a diathesis-stress model whereby self-criticism interacts with monthly perceived stress to predict same-month or next-month internalizing problems, including depression, anxiety, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicidal ideation, in students transitioning to university. Participants: 704 students (73% female, Mage = 17.97) were recruited during their first month of university in 2017 and 2018. Methods: Students completed surveys assessing self-criticism, perceived stress, and internalizing problems from September to April. Results: Self-criticism predicted higher depression and anxiety, as well as odds of NSSI and suicidal ideation, in students' first month on campus. Consistent with a diathesis-stress model, self-criticism strengthened the associations between stress and same-month depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Self-critical students are at elevated risk of internalizing problems during the transition to university, particularly when they feel more stressed than usual. These findings elucidate which students should be targeted in interventions and when interventions should be delivered to curtail internalizing problems.

Self-perception of academic ability and ADHD symptoms in college students in China and the United States: A preliminary study

Children with ADHD are frequently reported to demonstrate a positive illusory bias in multiple domains. Less is known about such a bias in college students. This study examined academic positive illusory bias in college students and whether cultural factors play a role in its expression. A total of 633 college students from China and the United States completed measures designed to assess biased self-perception of academics. Among other measures, the nonclinical sample completed a math task and then estimated their own achievement and completed measures of intellectual and scholastic self-competence. Symptoms of ADHD were unrelated to overconfidence on the math task and were negatively related to reports of self-competence. However, individualism and collectivism were related to overconfidence and self-competence. In contrast to results from research in other domains, academic positive illusory bias among those with more symptoms of ADHD does not appear to persist into college.

Trajectory of first-year students’ depressive mood after the transition to high school: The role of personality dimensions

This short-term longitudinal study investigated the developmental trajectory of first-year students’ depressive mood and the role of personality dimensions after the transition to high school. Chinese first-year high school students (251 males, 295 females) completed surveys to determine depressive mood and personality dimensions. The latent growth modeling results were as follows: participants’ depressive mood increased linearly after the transition to high school, and the intercept and slope of depressive mood were insignificantly correlated; neuroticism significantly and positively predicted the intercept and slope of depressive mood; extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness negatively and significantly predicted the intercept of depressive mood, but insignificantly predicted the slope; and agreeableness did not predict the intercept or slope of depressive mood. Overall, first-year students’ depressive mood increased linearly and personality dimensions differently predict depressive mood during this period.

Daily change patterns in mindfulness and psychological health: A pilot intervention

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the differences in first-year college students' daily change trajectories in subjective happiness, depression, anxiety, stress, and state mindfulness.

METHOD

A 5-day, online mindfulness-based intervention (MI) condition and stress management (SM) condition were employed in 247 first-year college students.

RESULTS

Students in both the MI and SM conditions displayed similar significant linear declines in anxiety and stress, but there were significant differences between the two conditions, including: (1) the MI condition showing a significant linear increase in subjective happiness compared with no change in the SM condition and (2) the SM condition showed a significant linear decrease in depression compared to no significant change in the MI condition.

CONCLUSION

Brief online interventions-whether MI or SM-can promote better mental health and reduce psychological distress. The results also lend support for MI's differential influence on first-year college students' happiness and SM's differential influence on their depression.