"Separation-individuation and adjustment to college: A longitudinal study": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by K. G. Rice (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1992, Vol 39[2], 203–213). A corrected version of Table 7 is presented. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1992-25243-001.) Aimed to (1) chart late-adolescent individuation from freshman to junior year in college, (2) further examine previously reported sex differences in separation–individuation and college adjustment, and (3) assess the within-year and across-year association between individuation and adjustment. As part of an ongoing longitudinal project, 130 students completed measures of separation–individuation and college adjustment early in their freshman year (D. K. Lapsely et al, 1989). In the present follow-up study, 81 of those original Ss completed measures in their junior year. The results indicated significant increases in individuation from parents over time along most but not all dimensions of individuation for both men and women. Gender specific patterns of individuation/adjustment emerged in freshman and junior year. In general, independence from parents in freshman year did not predict junior year college adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Separation-individuation, family cohesion, and adjustment to college: Measurement validation and test of a theoretical model.

We examined the relation between adolescent separation–individuation, family cohesion, and college adjustment. A large sample of college students was split into two groups. One group was used to determine whether several measures of separation–individuation were measuring different dimensions of individuation. Two related factors, labeled Positive Separation Feelings and Independence From Parents, emerged from an exploratory factor analysis of the measures. A theoretical model, derived from psychodynamic and family systems perspectives of separation–individuation, was tested on the second group of subjects. The model specified that college adjustment would be predicted by family cohesion, positive separation feelings, and independence from parents. The results indicated that the Positive Separation Feelings factor was a better predictor of college adjustment than Independence From Parents or Family Cohesion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contributions of parental attachment bonds to college student development and adjustment: A meta-analytic review.

We report findings from a meta-analysis of 156 studies conducted between 1987 and 2009 (N = 32,969) that examined the relationship between self-reported parental attachment and multiple adjustment outcomes and developmental advances during the college years. Overall, a small-to-medium relationship was found between indicators of parental attachment quality and favorable adjustment outcomes (r = .23). Effect sizes were of similar magnitude for mother and father attachment relationships, for male and female students, and across ethnicity and nationality of the sample. The attachment–adjustment relationship varied somewhat according to the developmental task being investigated in the study, showing the strongest association for the task of separation–individuation. Additionally, we found stronger attachment–adjustment links for students residing away from their parents when compared with students living at home during college. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents' self-acceptance and perceptions of their parents.

Measures of self-acceptance, adjustment, perceived acceptance by parents and identification with them were correlated with 10 sub-tests of a parent-child relations questionnaire. Ss were 44 college freshman with a mean age of 18 yr. Adolescents high in self-acceptance and adjustment perceived their parents as loving and not as neglectful or rejecting. Ss' self-regard was more closely related to their mothers' than their fathers' child-rearing attitudes. Correlations between self-regard measures and evaluation of parents' child-rearing attitudes were higher for boys than for girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual and relational predictors of adjustment in first-year college students.

Assessed the differential predictive utility of home-leaving status, family functioning, separation–individuation issues, cognitive constructions of the home-leaving process, and personality variables for adjustment during the 1st yr of college with a sample of 286 college freshmen (182 women and 104 men). Findings revealed that the separation–individuation, family relations, and personality variables were better predictors of adjustment than were the cognitive indicators or home-leaving status. Results also varied as a function of gender; less well-adjusted men were more disconnected from significant others, whereas less well-adjusted women exhibited higher levels of separation anxiety and enmeshment seeking. Implications for counseling interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression, psychological separation, and college adjustment: An investigation for sex differences.

18 male and 24 female undergraduates from intact families completed the Beck Depression Inventory, a psychological separation inventory, and a college adjustment inventory. Results indicate that males were significantly more independent of parents than were females and that significant negative correlations between psychological separation and both depression and college adjustment existed only for females. No significant relation between depression and college adjustment was observed for either males or females. Additional findings suggest that the relation of psychological separation to adjustment was affected by the type of independence and adjustment being measured as well as the sex of the S and the S's parent. Implications for developmental theory are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neither colorblind nor oppositional: Perceived minority status and trajectories of academic adjustment among Latinos in elite higher education.

As more Latinos experience upward social mobility, it is increasingly necessary to challenge oppositional cultural assumptions to explain how perceived minority status barriers may influence their academic achievement. The present study builds on previous work that identified 3 distinct minority status orientations among Latino college students entering elite colleges—which the authors call assimilation, accommodation, and resistance. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, the authors examined how these orientations influence Latino students’ academic and social adjustment from their freshman to junior years of college. Latino students who most strongly questioned the openness of the opportunity structure to ethnic minorities—resisters—reported similar grades and time spent studying as their counterparts who perceived less ethnic and racial inequities. In addition, resisters did not disengage from their social environment but rather became increasingly involved in campus activities outside the classroom during their college career. Implications for understanding ethnic minority individuals’ interpretations of social stratification in well-resourced, high-achieving contexts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectation and reality in freshman adjustment to college.

Earlier investigations of the "freshman myth" have focused on the differences between expectations and perceptions of the college environment and have shown that entering students typically anticipate more from that environment than is subsequently realized. The present study examined differences between expectations and perceptions of self-assessed adjustment to college to determine whether students also expect more of themselves than is subsequently realized. Occurrence of the myth in this new form was found among college freshmen at 2 colleges. A college adjustment scale was completed by 185 Ss before entering school, in the 8th wk of the 1st semester, and in the 5th wk of the 1st semester at one school. At the other school, an expectations scale was completed by 172 Ss during the orientation period prior to beginning the academic year. The adjustment scale was completed by 258 Ss in the 8th wk of the 2st semester. 123 Ss completed both scales. Differences in occurrence of the myth in various aspects of the adjustment are described, and the possibility of differences in occurrence at the 2 colleges is considered. Evidence concerning the course of the myth over time is presented, and individual differences in and behavioral correlates of the myth are identified. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescents' Attachment Representations and Developmental Tasks in Emerging Adulthood.

The association between attachment representations and adolescents' coping with 3 developmental tasks of emerging adulthood-leaving home, advancing in the capacity for mature intimacy, and developing individuation-was examined. Israeli male adolescents (N = 88) were administered the Adult Attachment Interview during their high-school senior year. A year later, they and their friends reported on the adolescents' adjustment to mandatory military service. Three years later, participants and their parents reported on the adolescents' capacity for intimacy using an in-depth interview and on their individuation. An autonomous state of mind was associated with better coping with basic training and with a higher capacity for mature intimacy but was not associated with markers of individuation. The results highlight the importance of attachment representations in shaping an individual's developmental trajectory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment trajectories in college science programs: Perceptions of qualities of parents' and college teachers' relationships.

This longitudinal study had 2 goals. The 1st goal was to describe trajectories of academic and emotional adjustment in college science programs. The 2nd goal was to determine whether these trajectories differed as a function of students' self-reports of the quality of their relationships with parents and teachers. The sample consisted of 498 students recruited during their last year of high school. Assessment of adjustment continued until the end of the 2nd year of college. For a number of students, the authors observed a significant decline in both academic and emotional adjustment. Moreover, it was possible to identify an at-risk profile characterized by poor academic and emotional adjustment. In examining the students' perceptions of their family and school environments, the authors found that poorly and well-adjusted students differed from each other on the basis of parental but not teachers' relationship quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal study of changes in ego identity status from the freshman to the senior year at college.

Conducted ego identity status interviews with 53 male college seniors who had participated in a previous study of identity development during the freshman year. As hypothesized, significant increases in the frequency of students in the identity achiever status were observed for both occupational and ideological identity. Also as predicted, the achiever status was found to be the most stable status from the end of the freshman year to the senior year, while the moratorium status was the least stable. While the general developmental trend was positive, a substantial proportion of the Ss were completing their college years in the identity diffusion status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent–parent separation.

Assessed the effect of adolescent–parent separation on the relationships between parents and their sons entering college. Two groups of parents and adolescent sons were tested. One group consisted of 104 adolescents who were to leave home to board at college. The 2nd group of 138 adolescents remained at home and commuted to college. Each group was tested first while the boys were still in high school and again after they began college. Those Ss who boarded at college exhibited increased affection, communication, satisfaction, and independence in relation to their parents. This indicated that the initial separation of leaving for college facilitates a boy's growth toward the developmental goal of becoming functionally independent of his parents while retaining strong emotional ties to them. Increases were also found in mothers' affection and some fathers' dependence. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implicit theories of emotion: Affective and social outcomes across a major life transition.

The authors demonstrate that people differ systematically in their implicit theories of emotion: Some view emotions as fixed (entity theorists), whereas others view emotions as more malleable (incremental theorists). Using a longitudinal and multimethod design, the authors show that implicit theories of emotion, as distinct from intelligence, are linked to both emotional and social adjustment during the transition to college. Before entering college, individuals who held entity (vs. incremental) theories of emotion had lower emotion regulation self-efficacy and made less use of cognitive reappraisal (Part 1). Throughout their first academic term, entity theorists of emotion had less favorable emotion experiences and received decreasing social support from their new friends, as evidenced by weekly diaries (Part 2). By the end of freshman year, entity theorists of emotion had lower well-being, greater depressive symptoms, and lower social adjustment as indicated in both self- and peer-reports (Part 3). The emotional, but not the social, outcomes were partially mediated by individual differences in emotion regulation self-efficacy (Part 4). Together, these studies demonstrate that implicit theories of emotion can have important long-term implications for socioemotional functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment and control in family and mentoring contexts as determinants of adolescent adjustment at college.

This study examined whether adolescents' perceptions of attachment security and behavioral and psychological control as experienced in family and mentoring contexts are predictive of their adjustment to college. One hundred fifty-eight academically at-risk adolescents (63 men and 95 women, 16–20 years old) completed questionnaires twice during their first semester: before and after they participated in a mentoring program. Analyses yielded 4 findings: (a) Paternal control was predictive of adolescent adjustment to college; (b) above and beyond perceptions of parental attachment and control, perception of a secure relationship with a mentor was predictive of adolescent adjustment; (c) this relationship was found to be stronger for adolescents who reported having high levels of security in the relationship with their mother; and (d) psychological control by both parents appeared to be a significant determinant of academic achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritative parenting and college students' academic adjustment and success.

This study examined connections between college students' adjustment and success and characteristics of their relationships with their parents. A sample of 236 students completed the Student Attitudes and Perceptions Survey, a 135-item anonymous self-report instrument. Students' grades, confidence level, persistence, task involvement, and rapport with their teachers were generally predicted by both current and childhood levels of parental autonomy granting, demandingness, and supportiveness. Ratings of parenting characteristics were equally predictive of adjustment and success among students living with their parents and those living on their own. They were somewhat less predictive of seniors' adjustment and success than they were for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. These findings suggest that parenting style continues to play an important role in the academic lives of college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the academic performance of college freshmen: Attribution therapy revisited.

40 freshmen were given information indicating that on the average, college students improve their grades from the freshman to the upperclass years, and they were shown videotaped interviews of upperclassmen who reported that their GPAs had improved since their freshman year. Ss who received the information, compared to those who did not, (a) were significantly less apt to leave college by the end of the sophomore year, (b) had a significantly greater increase in GPA 1 yr after the study, and (c) performed significantly better on sample items from the Graduate Record Exam. The self-report evidence for the cognitive processes mediating these behavioral changes was weak. A more positive mood was reported only by Ss who performed a reasons analysis (i.e., who were asked to list reasons why their grades might improve). This divergent pattern of behavioral and self-report results is discussed in terms of the hypothesis that the determinants of behavioral results differ from the determinants of self-report results in self-attribution studies. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences in keeping secrets from parents in adolescence.

The current longitudinal study examined adolescent gender differences in the developmental changes and relational correlates of secrecy from parents. For 4 successive years, starting in the second year of junior high (mean age at Time 1 = 13.2 years, SD = 0.51), 149 male and 160 female Dutch adolescents reported on secrecy from their parents and the quality of the parent–child relationship. Latent growth curve modeling revealed a linear increase in secrecy, which was significantly faster for boys than for girls. Moreover, cross-lagged panel analyses showed clear concurrent and longitudinal linkages between secrecy from parents and poorer parent–child relationship quality in girls. In boys, much less strong linkages were found between poorer relationships and secrecy from parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego stage and identity status development: A cross-sequential analysis.

A longitudinal study of identity status and ego stage development during late adolescence was completed to assess (a) potential differential rates in male vs female development, (b) possible cohort differences, and (c) consistency in theoretically predicted change. The cross-sequential study included a Sex?×?Cohort?×?Repeated Measures design. A random sample of 148 freshman, sophomore, and junior college students was assessed in 1976 and 1977 using the Marcia Ego-Identity Incomplete Sentence Blank and Interview and the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test. Some sex and cohort differences were observed. Although half of the Ss remained stable in their identity ego status or stage, the remaining Ss experienced either advancement or regression from 1976 to 1977. The data support the theoretical notions of development underlying both psychological constructs and are consistent with previous longitudinal studies that indicate intraindividual change over time in personality development. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the performance of college freshmen with attributional techniques.

Reports 2 replications of the authors' (see record 1982-26799-001) study in which college freshmen were given information suggesting that the causes of low grades are unstable. Compared with a control group, these Ss did better on both short-term and long-term performance measures. The long-term results, however, tended to be weak or open to alternative explanations. In the 1st replication, 39 2nd-semester freshmen with low GPAs who worried about their academic performance were assigned to control or treatment conditions. Ss in the treatment conditions received information that grades are low in the freshman year; some Ss were also told that grades improve thereafter. In the 2nd replication, 41 1st-semester freshmen who worried about their low GPAs received grade information, completed questionnaires, and completed some items from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Considered together, these 3 studies found that attributional interventions improved the performance of Ss on both short-term and long-term measures. Presenting Ss with information indicating that the causes of low grades in the 1st yr are temporary led to (a) improvement on sample items from the GRE and (b) increases in actual grades in the semester after the studies were conducted. Results were stronger for males than for females. This may have been due to the fact that females were more likely to find out on their own that the causes of poor grades are unstable. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol Use in College Students: Effects of Level of Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Contingencies of Self-Worth.

The unique effects of level of self-esteem, narcissism, and contingencies of self-worth assessed prior to college on alcohol use during the freshman year were examined in a longitudinal study of 620 college students. Narcissism predicted alcohol use, but level of self-esteem did not. Basing self-worth on appearance predicted more alcohol use, whereas the virtue, God's love, and academic competence contingencies predicted less alcohol use, independent of other personality measures and joining a sorority or a fraternity. Further, the virtue and academic competence contingencies were associated with decreases in alcohol use from the 1st to the 2nd semester. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)