Moving Away and Reaching Out: Young Adults’ Relational Maintenance and Psychosocial Well-Being During the Transition to College

ABSTRACT

In this study, we extended the research on students’ stress and psychosocial well-being during the transition to college to consider the potential moderating effect of their communication of relational maintenance with a parent. We found that as students’ (N = 155) daily stress increased, their daily loneliness and depression increased, and their daily happiness decreased. Moreover, we identified students’ daily communication of openness and assurances with a parent as moderators of the association between their daily stress and daily loneliness. These results suggest that students’ communication with a parent is a salient factor in their well-being during the transition to college.

Funding

This research was supported in part by new faculty funding from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee College of Letters & Science.

Notes

¹ Independent sample t-tests were conducted to compare means of study variables among participants whose data were retained (n = 155) and the participants whose data were excluded (n = 71) because they failed to complete the minimum of three daily questionnaires. The two groups did not differ in terms of sex, χ (df = 1) = 0.22, p = .64; stress, t (224) = -1.74, p = .08; or depression, t (224) = -1.74; p = .74, but differed in loneliness, t (224) = 2.03, p = .04. The group who completed the daily questionnaires (M = 2.15, SD = .60) reported greater loneliness than the group who did not (M = 1.97, SD = .55). Happiness and relational maintenance were omitted from the initial questionnaire; thus, we cannot determine whether the two groups differed on these constructs.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by new faculty funding from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee College of Letters & Science.