ERIC Number: EJ1429081
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jul
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1560
EISSN: EISSN-1573-174X
Available Date: N/A
Focusing Resources to Promote Student Well-Being: Associations of Malleable Psychosocial Factors with College Academic Performance and Distress and Suicidality
Chris Brownson; Brittany P. Boyer; Chris Runyon; Ashley E. Boynton; Erika Jonietz; Ben I. Spear; Stuart A. Irvin; Sarah K. Christman; Michael J. Balsan; David J. Drum
Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research, v88 n1 p339-359 2024
College students' mental health concerns have dramatically increased in prevalence and severity over the past decade, overwhelming the capacity of counseling centers to meet demand for services. In response, institutions of higher education (IHEs) increasingly emphasize prevention, education, and outreach efforts aimed at improving well-being. Although this focus has prompted an increase in research on student well-being, few studies have investigated the unique contributions of malleable psychosocial factors on student outcomes. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the relative impact of an array of psychosocial factors--adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, coping self-efficacy, social connectedness, perceived burdensomeness, grit, resilience, and meaning in life--on academic performance and distress and suicidality in a sample of 7505 students from 15 U.S. IHEs. Controlling for institutional selectivity and non-malleable aspects of students' identities and pre-college experiences, facets of perfectionism, grit, and emotion-focused coping self-efficacy were the psychosocial factors most strongly associated with GPA, and perceived burdensomeness, social connectedness, emotion-focused coping self-efficacy, and resilience were most strongly associated with distress and suicidality. Among non-malleable factors, race/ethnicity explained the most variance in GPA and gender identity explained the most variance in distress and suicidality. Results are discussed in light of persistent, identity-based disparities in academic achievement and suicide risk and the potential of psychosocial factors as intervention targets to improve academic performance and reduce suicide risk.
Descriptors: College Students, Well Being, Academic Achievement, Stress Variables, Suicide, Mental Health, Personality Traits, Coping, Self Efficacy, Interpersonal Competence, Academic Persistence, Resistance (Psychology), Grade Point Average, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Identity, At Risk Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A