Hardiness and Psychological Well-Being in College Students Nicole Moshfegh University of California, Irvine Salvatore R. Maddi, PhD

General Background Nationally, nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed at some point in time that they have trouble functioning Counseling centers nationwide report increasing numbers of students seeking services

Across the UC System Data from 8 UC campuses (including UCI) found that the number of students utilizing campus counseling centers has increased twenty-three percent in the last five years

UCI Counseling Services A survey of over 3000 UCI students in 2006 found More than two-thirds had experienced a mental health issue during their time at UCI One-third either used or referred someone to a campus mental health resource The most common self-reported issue was stress

Purpose of the Study To examine the factors that contribute to college students perceptions of well-being To determine the impact of hardiness on perceived educational barriers, cultural fit, and overall psychological well-being 5

Research Questions R1: Are there differences for each of the studies variables by class standing, race/ethnicity, acculturation/ethnic identity level, immigration status/generation, and socioeconomic status? R2: What influence do the perceived educational barriers, cultural fit, and hardiness values have on the psychological well-being of undergraduate students? R3: What are the interrelationships amongst the studies variables? 6

Common Stressors coping with family problems lack of transportation balancing workload and class schedules with fulltime work and other responsibilities peer pressure relationship problems difficulty managing time sleep deprivation racism financial problems greater academic demands needing to fit in with peers greater awareness of one’s sexual identity and orientation concerns about graduating and obtaining a job

Populations at Risk Certain populations are at greater risk for developing mental health issues due to feelings of alienation from general campus populations. These groups may include: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) populations racially and ethnically underrepresented students

Minority Student Enrollment As of 2003, students of color made up 27.8 percent of the nearly 17 million students in American colleges and universities, up from 21.8 percent in 1993 As of 2007, 74% of total undergraduates enrolled at UCI were identified as non-White ethnicities 2007 UCI Undergraduate Student Ethnicity

Barriers Affecting Minority Population Educational barriers lack of finances lower familial support fewer mentors cultural stereotypes inhospitable campus climates sense of cultural misfit

University Environment Studies of the university environment found racial and ethnic minority students perceive: Racial tension Hostility Feelings of marginalization Feeling unwelcomed

Cultural Congruity Balancing home and family values with the university environment often pushes minority students to assimilate to institutional values The conflict between personal/cultural values and those of the university environment adds to the stress of this population

Well-Being Well-being or positive functioning must be examined in undergraduates to determine the effects of stressors Well-being has commonly been associated with self-acceptance positive relations with others autonomy environmental mastery purpose in life personal growth

Role of Hardiness Hardiness has been shown in research to enhance performance and health, despite stressful changes HardiAttitudes Commitment Control Challenge Copyright 1999-2007, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.

Survey Scales Content Items Demographic sheet Age, gender, ethnicity, income, etc. 30 Personal Views Survey, Third Edition Measures commitment, control, challenge aspects of hardiness 18 Perception of Barriers Scale Assess student perceptions of barriers to educational and career goals 24 University Environment/ Cultural Congruity Scale Assess student perceptions & cultural fit within university environment 27 Psychological Well-Being–Short Scale Measures six theoretical constructs that address different dimensions of well-being or positive functioning

Demographics Ethnicity of Sample Status Value Male 13% Female 87% Upperclassmen 53% Lowerclassmen 47% First generation 60% Family income above $70,000 48% Mean income $50-59,000 2.5% 4% 15.5% 6.5% 0.5% 11% 52%

Results Stepwise Regression Correlations One-way ANOVA by Class standing Differences for PWB Ethnicity HRD Generation UES SES Stepwise Regression 39% of the variance Step 1: HRD Step 2: UES Step 3: POB Correlations Hardiness correlated with UES PWB PWB correlated with UES correlated with POB

Correlations Significance of all correlations less than P < .01 Perceived well-being is positively correlated with hardiness University environment and cultural congruity are positively correlated with hardiness Perceived well-being is positively correlated with university environment and cultural congruity Significance of all correlations less than P < .05: Perceived barriers to education is positively correlated with University environment and cultural congruity 18

Implications Hardiness is the strongest predictor of psychological well-being (34%) Having a Hardy attitude Increases feelings of cultural congruity in the university Lessens the perception of barriers toward educational and career goals Increases well-being

Practical Implications Findings will provide insight for university centers to better address mental health issues when working with racial ethnic minority undergraduates. Results may assist clinicians in understanding undergraduates’ emotions, social systems, and cultural continuity as they relate to mental health. Findings may provide justification to implement hardiness training as a requirement for college students in order to reduce mental health risks in this population

Limitations & Future Research Study was subjective Study only measured perceived barriers and stressors Follow up study to include additional questions pertaining to objective stressors in order to greater predict validity of results Conduct study with more individuals of differing ethnic backgrounds

Acknowledgments Salvatore R. Maddi, Ph.D. Valerie Jenness, Ph.D. Hardiness Lab Said Shokair Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Social Ecology Honors Program Members THANK YOU!!!