Family Support in College Students
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Psychology
Minor
Applied Statistics
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Amanda Joyce
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
The transition to college can be a challenging time for emerging adults and many factors may influence the success of this transition. Previous research has found that living on campus is associated with varying effects which enhance the college experience. Additionally, family support and attachment can ease the transition by encouraging autonomy. There is a need to examine if these variables are related as they both impact the ease of transition to college life. The purpose of the current study is to examine the difference between college students living on-campus versus off-campus in their perception of familial support and to examine if this difference is related to family functioning and stress levels in college students. It was hypothesized that there is a difference between the perceived level of familial support between on- and off-campus residents, and that perceived familial support and family functioning would be negatively related with stress. An independent samples t-test was run to test the hypothesis of a difference between on and off campus students in perceived support (as measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). There was no difference in family support between on and off campus students. However, Pearson correlations revealed that family support and family functioning (as measured by the Family System APGAR) negatively related to stress (as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale). While the study suffered from limitations that may have affected these results, there are implications for future research in aiding the college transition.
Fall Scholars Week 2019 Event
Psychology: Completed Projects
Family Support in College Students
The transition to college can be a challenging time for emerging adults and many factors may influence the success of this transition. Previous research has found that living on campus is associated with varying effects which enhance the college experience. Additionally, family support and attachment can ease the transition by encouraging autonomy. There is a need to examine if these variables are related as they both impact the ease of transition to college life. The purpose of the current study is to examine the difference between college students living on-campus versus off-campus in their perception of familial support and to examine if this difference is related to family functioning and stress levels in college students. It was hypothesized that there is a difference between the perceived level of familial support between on- and off-campus residents, and that perceived familial support and family functioning would be negatively related with stress. An independent samples t-test was run to test the hypothesis of a difference between on and off campus students in perceived support (as measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). There was no difference in family support between on and off campus students. However, Pearson correlations revealed that family support and family functioning (as measured by the Family System APGAR) negatively related to stress (as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale). While the study suffered from limitations that may have affected these results, there are implications for future research in aiding the college transition.