The Relationship of Family and Peer Connectedness and Spirituality with College Adjustment
Open Access
Author:
Thiel, Kyle C
Area of Honors:
Psychology (Behrend)
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Victoria A Kazmerski, Thesis Supervisor Victoria A Kazmerski, Thesis Honors Advisor Charisse Nixon, Faculty Reader Carol Leigh Wilson, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Family Peers Spirituality Connectedness
Abstract:
Annually, a multitude of late adolescents begin the milestone of attending college. Academia and the college experience can be rigorous, and it is important that the student maintains connections or establishes new ones to minimize the stresses of college. Students may maintain a strong connection to their parents, turn to peer relationships to cope with college demands, or may seek God or another deity to bear the burden. This study examined these factors of family connectedness, peer connectedness, and spirituality as they related to college adjustment. I hypothesized that undergraduates who experience the most positive college adjustment will be those who establish connections with their college peers. Correlational results revealed relationships between peer connectedness and the full scale SACQ as well as the subscales of academic adjustment and personal-emotional adjustment. Multiple regression analysis confirmed my hypothesis of peer connectedness being the best predictor of overall college adjustment, as measured by the full scale SACQ. Surprisingly, regression analysis also found spirituality to be the strongest predictor of academic adjustment. Results can be used to raise awareness among undergraduates of the importance of peer connectedness and spirituality in establishing positive adjustment to college.
