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

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)     

"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)     

Role of adolescent–parent relationships in college student development and adjustment.

Tested the hypothesis that the conjoint variance of psychological separation and parental attachment is more strongly related to college student development and adjustment than either set of variables in isolation. Measures of college student development, college student adjustment, psychological separation, and parental attachment were administered to 73 female and 66 male students (mean age 19.1 yrs) attending a large state university in the Northeast. For college student development, there was support for the conjoint hypothesis for the women but not for the men. For college student adjustment, there was no support for the conjoint hypothesis for the women and limited support for the men. The implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation of normal and psychopathic MMPI personality patterns.

Previous work with the simulation of normalcy on personality tests has suggested that good adjustment involves an adequate understanding of socially approved behavior. 27 well-adjusted and 42 maladjusted college males took the MMPI under instructions to simulate very good adjustment, and again under instructions to simulate psychopathic personality. Both groups simulated very good adjustment satisfactorily; however, well-adjusted Ss were superior to maladjusted Ss in the simulation of psychopathic personality. The findings were consistent with the literature on role-taking and empathy, supporting the view that good adjustment involves an ability to understand and predict socially adequate and inadequate behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality measures as predictors of smoking initiation and cessation in the UNC Alumni Heart Study.

MMPI data collected from a sample of college men and women during 1964–1967 were used to predict smoking initiation and cessation over a 20-yr follow-up period. People who subsequently began smoking were more rebellious, impulsive, sensation seeking, and hostile; were less likely to present a positive self-image; and were socially extraverted while in college. People who continued to smoke 20 yrs later were more hostile and sensation seeking. The personality variables that predicted smoking initiation and cessation were the same for men and women. Discussion centers on the potential role of hostility as a predictor of smoking cessation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family structure, psychological separation, and college adjustment: A canonical analysis and cross-validation.

554 undergraduates from intact families completed relevant instruments. A canonical correlation of family-structure and psychological-separation scores extracted 2 significant and stable roots, representing conflictually overinvolved and differentiated family patterns, respectively. Intercorrelations of each variate with original variables indicate that these dimensions were also associated with different separation patterns across subject sex. The canonical correlation of psychological-separation and college-adjustment measures uncovered a single significant and stable root that underscored the relation of conflictual independence and personal adjustment within both male and female groups. The results are interpreted as supporting assumptions of structural family theory and as suggesting that the psychological separation patterns of college men and women are differentially affected by inappropriate family structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting educational attainment, occupational achievement, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among gifted men and women.

The cognitive potential of many gifted children goes unfulfilled. This study was designed to isolate factors, other than cognitive skill, that might predict adult achievements and personal adjustment among the gifted. Subjects were 1,069 gifted men (n?=?595) and women (n?=?474) who have been followed for 60 years as part of the Terman Genetic Studies of Genius. Childhood personality traits, parental education, and early home environment variables were examined as predictors of educational and occupational achievement among adults. The final model depicted five longitudinal relationships that predicted educational attainment, intellectual skill, and personal adjustment among both men and women. Two additional paths explained occupational achievement. The implications of this final model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stereotypic and nonstereotypic sex role trait and behavior orientations, gender identity, and psychological adjustment.

This study examines the relations among sex role traits and behavior orientations, gender identity, and psychological adjustment in order to test traditional and contemporary perspectives regarding the adjustment implications of stereotypic and nonstereotypic sex role trait and behavior orientations. Measures of sex role personality traits and behaviors and scales assessing depression, anxiety, and social maladjustment were administered to 235 college men and women. In addition, subjects completed measures of gender identity and gender adequacy. Contrary to traditional perspectives, androgynous men and women and cross-sex-typed women were no less well adjusted than sex-typed individuals. However, consistent with traditional perspectives, men who were low in masculine characteristics (and men and women low in both masculine and feminine characteristics) did appear less well adjusted on measures of depression, anxiety, and social maladjustment. Furthermore, low masculinity men had less secure gender identities. No such gender identity disturbances were found in women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Role of adolescent–parent relationships in college student development and adjustment": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by D. E. Schultheiss and D. L. Blustein (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1994[Apr], Vol 41[2], 248–255). Tables 1 and 2 contain incorrect data. The corrected tables are printed here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1994-31480-001.) Tested the hypothesis that the conjoint variance of psychological separation and parental attachment is more strongly related to college student development and adjustment than either set of variables in isolation. Measures of college student development, college student adjustment, psychological separation, and parental attachment were administered to 73 female and 66 male students (mean age 19.1 yrs) attending a large state university in the Northeast. For college student development, there was support for the conjoint hypothesis for the women but not for the men. For college student adjustment, there was no support for the conjoint hypothesis for the women and limited support for the men. The implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research are discussed. (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)     

Long-term effects of incestuous child abuse in college women: Social adjustment, social cognition, and family characteristics.

This study investigated family and social cognitive characteristics as possible mediators of social adjustment. Subjects were 85 college women, including 29 with a history of sexual abuse by a family member and 56 control subjects with no history of abuse. Results indicated decreased cohesion and adaptability in the family of origin, increased perception of social isolation, and poorer social adjustment among abused subjects. Additional analyses suggested that family characteristics and increased perceptions of social isolation were more predictive of social maladjustment than abuse per se. However, abuse by a paternal figure was related to poorer social adjustment even after significant family and social-cognitive variables were controlled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploratory intervention with a scale measuring adjustment to college.

Describes an intervention into the lives of college freshmen that was based on a scale measuring adjustment to college developed by the present authors (see record 1984-21813-001). 216 Ss initially completed the scale, and 150 Ss with high or low scores were assigned to interview or no-interview conditions. The scale was also used to serve as a source of topics for discussion in interviews and to measure the effects of intervention through pre- and posttesting. Qualitative and quantitative findings are presented regarding (a) attitude of Ss toward use of the scale, (b) the correspondence between test data and effectiveness of adjustment to college, and (c) the consequences of intervention by interviews for Ss indicated by the scale as well-adjusted and less well-adjusted. Results support the validity of the scale and the beneficial effects of relatively modest interventions in improving ratings of adjustment and reducing drop-outs. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family relationships and children's adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families.

Investigated differences in marital and family process, children's behavioral adjustment in clinical and nonclinical stepfather families, and the relationship of family process to children's psychosocial adjustment. Nonclinical stepfamilies had better parent–child relations, better marital adjustment, and more marital individuation than clinical stepfamilies. Children in clinical stepfamilies had more behavior problems rated with fewer prosocial behaviors, and had more shy and withdrawn behavior than children in nonclinical stepfamilies. More negative and less positive child-to-parent interactions and less spousal individuation correlated with more behavior problems and less prosocial behavior of children. Implications for clinical interventions and future research on stepfamilies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do comparative self-appraisals during young adulthood predict adult personality?

Archival data from the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study were used to assess whether positive, neutral, and negative social comparisons assessed during college predicted the expression of personality during adulthood. College students in 1966 rated themselves relative to peers on several personal attributes. For men and women, these attributes produced 3 similar yet distinct variables reflecting gregariousness, achievement striving, and expressiveness. These students were contacted 20 years later and completed the NEO Personality Inventory and M. Rosenberg's (1965) self-esteem measure. In general, persons with comparatively positive self-evaluations during college viewed themselves as possessing more positive and less negative personality traits during adulthood and were also less likely to report poorer self-esteem during middle adulthood. The implications of social comparison processes for personality development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological meaning of separation anxiety in mothers and fathers.

Anxiety about separation from a child is highly salient to parents and, when studied in mothers, has been shown to relate to important personality attributes. This longitudinal study examined origins of separation anxiety, describing the course and significance of separation anxiety in parents of firstborn infants. Although no gender effects were found in mean levels of separation anxiety across the 1st 2 years of parenthood, regression analyses revealed different patterns of relations between separation anxiety and psychological and contextual variables for men and women. For men, only self-criticism and their wife's separation anxiety were significant; for women, separation anxiety was related to personality attributes (such as dependency and self-criticism), role-related beliefs, their spouse's anxiety about separation, and the unique health characteristics of their child. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of drink price and next-day responsibilities on college student drinking: A behavioral economic analysis.

More than [3/4] of U.S. college students report a heavy drinking episode (HDE; 5 (for men) and 4 (for women) drinks during an occasion) in the previous 90 days. This pattern of drinking is associated with various risks and social problems for both the heavy drinkers and the larger college community. According to behavioral economics, college student drinking is a contextually bound phenomenon that is impacted by contingencies such as price and competing alternative reinforcers, including next-day responsibilities such as college classes. This study systematically examines the role of these variables by using hypothetical alcohol purchase tasks to analyze alcohol consumption and expenditures among college students who reported recent heavy drinking (N = 207, 53.1% women). The impact of gender and the personality risk factor sensation seeking (SS) were also assessed. Students were asked how many drinks they would purchase and consume across 17 drink prices and 3 next-day responsibility scenarios. Mean levels of hypothetical consumption were highly sensitive to both drink price and next-day responsibility, with the lowest drinking levels associated with high drink prices and a next-day test. Men and participants with greater levels of SS reported more demand overall (greater consumption and expenditures) than women and students with low SS personality. Contrary to our hypotheses women appeared to be less sensitive to increases in price than men. The results suggest that increasing drink prices and morning academic requirements may be useful in preventing heavy drinking among college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment to infertility.

Psychological adjustment to the threat of being unable to bear children was investigated for 62 women and 45 men. Approximately 37% of women and 1% of men of infertile marriages showed psychological disturbance. Because of the small number of men, the predictors of adjustment for women only were examined by regression analyses. Both event characteristics (medical factors) and subjective variables (cognitive factors) were found to contribute significantly to adjustment. Younger women and women who had not received a diagnosis were more distressed than patients who had. Women who felt responsible for their infertility showed poorer adjustment, and this was most evident when the cause of infertility was not due to male factors. Also, women who believed that their chances of conceiving were lower than the actual medical prognosis were more distressed. Finally, women who were affiliated with Protestant religions showed better adjustment than women of other faiths. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual orientation and gender as factors in socioculturally acquired vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.

Investigated the hypothesis that gay men and heterosexual women are dissatisfied with their bodies and vulnerable to eating disorders because of a shared emphasis on physical attractiveness (PA) and thinness that is based on a desire to attract and please men. Although men place priority on PA in evaluating potential partners, women place greater emphasis on other factors, such as personality, status, power, and income. Therefore, lesbians and heterosexual men are less concerned with their own PA and, consequently, less dissatisfied with their bodies and less vulnerable to eating disorders. Several instruments measuring body satisfaction, the importance of PA, and symptoms of eating disorders were administered to 250 college students. The sample included 53 lesbians, 59 gay men, 62 heterosexual women, and 63 heterosexual men. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were used to examine the differences among the scores of lesbians, gay men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men on these various constructs. Results generally confirmed the research hypothesis. The implications and ramifications these findings have for the understanding of both the psychology of lesbians and gay men and the prevention and treatment of eating disorders are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality structure as viewed through early memories and identity status in college men and women.

Early memories were obtained from 98 undergraduates in the 4 identity status categories and rated for psychosocial maturity in order to replicate an earlier study by R. L. Josselson (see record 1983-23229-001) with college women. In a result that was consistent with those of that earlier study and other studies in which deeper aspects of personality development that underlie identity formation were assessed, identity-achievement and moratorium Ss exhibited more developmentally advanced concerns in their early memories than did foreclosure and identity-diffusion Ss. In another result that was consistent with the interpretation that identity achievement often involves a rapprochement between needs for the relatedness and individuation, identity-achievement Ss of both sexes were found to blend secondary, less mature themes involving nurturance and security with the more mature themes of mastery, competition, and independent activity that were primary in their early memories. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)