Psychological Characteristics of First-year Students with Different Levels of Adaptation and Academic Performance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Relevance . The transition from school to university education may present first-year students with adaptation difficulties in both the academic domain, including new learning and communication conditions, and everyday life, including living arrangements and self-care. Such difficulties may contribute to neurotic reactions to the situation and decreased academic performance. Therefore, identifying adaptation problems and developing measures for the psychological prevention of maladaptation in university students is of particular relevance. Intention . To identify predictors of impaired psychological adaptation in first-year university students and to pilot a psychological support program. Methodology . The study involved 224 first-year students at the University of Social Work in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) after their first exam session. Methods aimed at studying academic and socio-psychological adaptation, temperamental characteristics, and stress response were used. Results and discussion . Based on the Student Academic Adaptation scale and academic performance indicators, the sample was divided into three comparison groups: low (LP), average (AP), and high (HP) levels of academic adaptation and academic performance. Psychological (motivational, cognitive, personal, and communicative) and socio-psychological (internality, self- acceptance, and acceptance of others) adaptation resources predominate in the group of students with average and high academic performance. Students with low academic performance (LP) have significantly lower motivational, cognitive, and psychophysiological indicators, lower self-acceptance and internality, higher rigidity and impulsivity, and higher anxiety and depressed mood; these factors can be regarded as prerequisites for adaptation disorders. The psychological support program was aimed at teaching students with low academic performance stress management and time management skills. A follow-up study revealed positive changes in psychological indicators: 24 (61.5%) students with (LP) improved their academic performance, while the rest remained stable. Conclusion : The psychological support program developed in the present study may be used for the prevention of adaptation difficulties among university students.
Source: Bulletin of psychotherapy
Institution: Herzen University
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223710315