Personal-emotional Adaptation Students - The Role Of Some Psychosocial Factors

Abstract

Identifying psychosocial factors that are related to students’ adaptation to studies is one of the most important steps in the planning and implementing of interventions aimed at supporting and assistingstudents during their studies (Krumrei et al., 2013).In accordance with the above within conductedresearch, the contribution of some sociodemographic features and psychosocial factors was examined(gender, academic year, family incomes, self-efficacy, self-esteem, locus of control, optimism, perceivedsocial support by family, friends and other significant persons, separation from family home, trust and alienation from parents and time pressure and stress) in explaining personal-emotional adaptation of students to studies. Students of the first, second and third year of the first cycle of studies from differentfaculties of the University of Sarajevo participated in this research. The total number of participants isN=650 (N=357 girls and N=293 youngster), average age 21.6 (SD=2.18). The following instrumentswere applied: General Self-Efficacy Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Externality Scale, Optimism Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, The Inventory of Parent and PeerAttachment, Time Pressure and Stress Assessment Scale, Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire and Questionnaire of sociodemographic features designed for the purpose of this research. The results of the complete regression analysis indicate that in the explanation of the results of the criterion measure, the personal-emotional adaptation to the studies, significant contribution have following predictors: time pressure and stress, self-esteem and gender. The regression model explains about 47% of the variance of the criterion measure personal - emotional adaptation (R=.68; R2=.47; F=32.22; p<.001). The largest contribution in explaining the personal-emotional adaptation of students has a predictor of time pressure and stress (β =- 530; p<.001), then self-esteem (β =.161; p<.001) and the smallest, but statistically significant result has a predictor variable of sex (β =-.132; p<.001).Therefore, the obtained results indicate that for the personal-emotional adaptation to the studies is extremely significant the extent to which the student is exposed to time pressure and stress.Personal-emotional adaptation is an indicator of mental and physical health of a student, but time pressure and stress most endanger the health of an individual. Students with a higher level of self-esteem and girls achieve better personal-emotional adaptation to studies.