College Student Psychological Adjustment : Theory, Methods, and Statistical Trends.

116 Pages·2016·3.06 MB·English

by  Jonathan F. Mattanah.

PSYCHOLOGY COLLECTION
College Student
Psychological
Adjustment
Theory, Methods, and
Statistical Trends
Jonathan F. Mattanah
College Student
Psychological Adjustment

College Student
Psychological Adjustment
Theory, Methods, and Statistical
Trends
Jonathan F. Mattanah
MOMENTUM PRESS, LLC, NEW YORK
College Student Psychological Adjustment: Theory, Methods, and Statistical
Trends
Copyright © Momentum Press, LLC, 2016.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other
except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
First published in 2016 by
Momentum Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.momentumpress.net
ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-725-4 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60650-726-1 (e-book)
Momentum Press Psychology Collection
Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd.,
Chennai, India
First edition: 2016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America.
Abstract
Young people are attending college at record levels in the United States,
with over 65 percent of high school seniors in 2013 matriculating at a
four-year college or university. Although many students thrive in college,
others experience significant psychological and emotional difficulties,
which can delay their pathway through college and even cause them to
drop out. The current book provides an in-depth look at the psychological
adjustment of college students, exploring theories and methods for study-
ing the adjustment process and the latest trends in adjustment o utcomes.
Aimed at advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and scholars in
the fields of psychology, human development, and higher education stud-
ies, this book reviews a wealth of classical and contemporary research
on college student developmental processes and adjustment dynamics.
Ultimately, readers will gain a fresh perspective on the challenges and
opportunities of the college years and possible avenues for intervention to
help those students who are struggling and at risk for failure.
Keywords
college student adjustment, depression, emerging adulthood, high risk
behaviors, historically black colleges and university, loneliness, mental
well-being, parent–student attachment relationships, predominantly
white colleges, self-esteem, separation-individuation from parents

Contents
Preface ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ix
Acknowledgments ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������xiii
Chapter 1 The Lives of College Students in the 21st Century ............1
Chapter 2 Theoretical Perspectives on College Student
Development ..................................................................13
Chapter 3 Research on College Student Adjustment .......................31
Chapter 4 College Adjustment for Students of Color ......................61
References ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������81
Index ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������95

Preface
A Case Study
Maggie is a 22-year-old senior in college who works 30 hours a week in a paid
internship related to her field of study in college and who has been accepted
into a prestigious master’s program� She also recently got married to her boy-
friend who she has been dating for the past six years� Although life is good for
Maggie right now and the future is bright, things have not always been this
way for her in college� Her freshmen year was a real struggle� Maggie had a
very hard time transitioning from high school to college, leaving her parents,
to whom she was deeply attached, and separating from her serious boyfriend
from high school� She did not get along well with her roommate and did
not fit in well to the college environment, preferring to go home almost every
weekend� Normally a straight A student and socially outgoing, Maggie began
staying in her room, skipping class, and developed serious panic attacks� She
felt depressed and slept much more than usual� Over the winter holidays, her
father noticed that something was wrong and urged Maggie to get some help�
During the spring semester, Maggie began seeing a counselor at the college
counseling center and began taking antidepressant medication for her anxiety
and depression� Things got a little easier, but she still felt depressed, she still
wasn’t getting along with her roommate, and she still missed her boyfriend
terribly� Maggie remembers that it was not until her junior year in college
that things began turning around for her� The pivotal event was taking a class
with one professor who really took an interest in her and piqued her interest in
her chosen field of study� After the class was over, this professor invited Maggie
to help proctor this same class the next semester and eventually Maggie began
working in the professor’s lab and he became her mentor and thesis advisor,
once she decided to become part of a competitive honors thesis program within
her department� At this point, Maggie says, she began really applying herself
in her classes, not just “floating” through—she also met fellow classmates who
took their studies as seriously as she did�