A Longitudinal Study Examining the Role of Social Connectedness in the Course of Depressive Symptoms: An Evaluation of Transfer and Freshman Students
Year: 2011
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Students face many stressors during their transition to a new postsecondary academic institution (e.g., meeting new people, adjusting to a new lifestyle, etc.).The purpose of this study was to examine how college transition influences the development of depressive symptoms during students' first semester of college.Our primary hypothesis was that transfer students would score higher in depressive symptoms than freshmen, and that social connectedness would mediate the relationship between freshman-transfer status and the level of depressive symptoms.Linear mixed modeling was used to evaluate how well our proposed variables predict depressive symptoms.Results show that transfer students, on average, scored higher in depressive symptoms than freshman students before and during the semester.They also scored lower in social connectedness, which, when included in the model, attenuated the relationship between freshman-transfer status and depressive symptoms, providing support for the mediation model.The difference between level of depressive symptoms and social connectedness between transfer and freshman students is discussed in terms of policy making implications.
Author: Josephine S. Au
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1072638355