Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Happiness Studies
Published in: Journal of Happiness Studies 2/2017

05-04-2016 | Research Paper

Stress and Subjective Well-Being Among First Year UK Undergraduate Students

Authors: Andrew Denovan, Ann Macaskill

Published in: Journal of Happiness Studies | Issue 2/2017

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

Transition to university is stressful and successful adjustment is imperative for well-being. Historically research on transitional stress focussed on negative outcomes and ill health. This is the first UK study applying a positive psychology approach to investigate the characteristics that facilitate adjustment among new university students. A range of psychological strengths conceptualised as covitality factors, shown individually to influence the stress and subjective well-being (SWB) relationship were assessed among 192 first year UK undergraduates in week three of their first semester and again 6 months later. Path analyses revealed that optimism mediated the relationship between stress and negative affect (a component of SWB) over time, and academic self-efficacy demonstrated significant relationships with life satisfaction and positive affect. Contrary to predictions, stress levels remained stable over time although academic alienation increased and self-efficacy decreased. Optimism emerged as a key factor for new students to adjust to university, helping to buffer the impact of stress on well-being throughout the academic year. Incorporating stress management and psycho-educational interventions to develop strengths is discussed as a way of promoting confidence and agency in new students to help them cope better with the stress at university.
previous article Measuring Socio-economic Factors and Sensitivity of Happiness
next article When Theory and Research Collide: Examining Correlates of Signature Strengths Use at Work

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
Literature
Adlaf, E. M., Gliksman, L., Demers, A., & Newton-Taylor, B. (2001). The prevalence of elevated psychological distress amongst Canadian undergraduates. Journal of American College Health, 50(2), 67–72.CrossRef
Affleck, G., & Tennen, H. (1996). Construing benefits from adversity: Adaptational significance and dispositional underpinnings. Journal of Personality, 64(4), 899–922.CrossRef
Andrews, B., & Wilding, J. M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 509–521.CrossRef
Ansari, W. E., & Oskrochi, R. (2014). Are student symptoms and health complaints associated with perceived stress at university? Perspectives from the United Kingdom and Egypt. International Journal of Environmental Health and Public Health, 11(10), 9981–10002.
Ansari, W. E., Stock, C., Snelgrove, S., Hu, X., Parke, S., Davies, S., et al. (2011). Feeling healthy? A survey of physical and psychological wellbeing of students from seven universities in the UK. International Journal of Research in Public Health, 8(5), 1308–1323.CrossRef
Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1992). Modelling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(6), 989–1003.CrossRef
Association of University & College Counselling. (2011). Annual survey of counselling in further and higher education, 2008/09. Rugby: British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Atienza, A., Stephens, M. A., & Townsend, A. (2004). Role stressors as predictors of changes in women’s optimistic expectations. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(3), 471–484.CrossRef
Avey, J. B., Wernsing, T. S., & Luthans, F. (2008). Can positive employees help positive organizational change? Impact of psychological capital and emotions on relevant attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 44(1), 48–70.CrossRef
Baker, S. R. (2003). A prospective longitudinal investigation of social problem-solving appraisal on adjustment to university, stress, health, and academic motivation and performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(3), 569–591.CrossRef
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman & Company.
Bartlett, D. (1998). Stress: Perspectives and processes. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Billings, D. W., Folkman, S., Acree, M., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Coping and physical health during caregiving: The roles of positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(1), 131–142.CrossRef
Blanco, C., Okuda, M., Wright, C., Hasin, D. S., Grant, B. F., Liu, S., & Wolfson, M. (2008). Mental health of college students and their non-college attending peers. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(12), 1429–1437.CrossRef
Brissette, I., Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (2002). The role of optimism and social network development, coping, and psychological adjustment during a life transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 102–111.CrossRef
Brown, A., Moerkamp, T., & Voncken, E. (1999). Facilitating progression to higher education from vocational paths. European Journal of Education, 34(2), 219–235.CrossRef
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Burks, N., Martin, B., & Martin, M. A. (1985). Every day’s problems and life change events: Ongoing versus acute sources of stress. Journal of Human Stress, 11(1), 27–35.CrossRef
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and self-regulation. In E. C. Chang (Ed.), Optimism and pessimism: Implications for theory, research, and practice (pp. 31–51). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.CrossRef
Chang, E. C. (1998). Hope, problem-solving ability, and coping in a college student population: Some implications for theory and practice. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54(7), 953–962.CrossRef
Chang, E. C., & Sanna, L. J. (2001). Optimism, pessimism, and positive and negative affectivity in middle-aged adults: A test of a cognitive-affective model of psychological adjustment. Psychology and Aging, 16(3), 524–531.CrossRef
Chapin, J., & Coleman, G. (2009). Optimistic Bias: What you think, what you know, or whom you know? North American Journal of Psychology, 11(1), 121–132.
Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first-year college student performance and adjustment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 55–65.CrossRef
Cotton, S. J., Dollard, M. F., & Jonge, J. D. (2002). Stress and student job design: Satisfaction, well-being, and performance in university students. International Journal of Stress Management, 9(3), 147–162.CrossRef
Cronbach, L. J. (1990). Essentials of psychological testing. New York: Harper Collins.
Denovan, A., & Macaskill, A. (2013). An interpretative phenomenological analysis of stress and coping in first year undergraduates. British Educational Research Journal, 39(6), 1002–1024.CrossRef
Department for Education & Skills (DfES). (2003). The future of higher education. London: DfES.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.CrossRef
Diener, E., & Lucas, R. E. (2000). Explaining differences in societal levels of happiness: Relative standards, need fulfilment, culture, and evaluation theory. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1(1), 41–78.CrossRef
Drake, R. E., & Wallach, M. A. (2000). Dual diagnosis: 15 years of progress. Psychiatric Services, 51(9), 1126–1129.CrossRef
Fabes, R. A., Eisenberg, N., Karbon, M., Troyer, D., & Switzer, G. (1994). The relations of children’s emotion regulation to their vicarious emotional responses and comforting behaviours. Child Development, 65(6), 1678–1693.CrossRef
Fisher, S. (1994). Stress in academic life: The mental assembly line. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Fisher, S., & Hood, B. (1987). The stress of transition to university: A longitudinal study of the vulnerability to disturbance and homesickness. British Journal of Psychology, 78(4), 425–441.CrossRef
Folkman, S. (2008). The case for positive emotions in the stress process. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 21(1), 3–14.CrossRef
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist, 55(6), 647–654.CrossRef
Fontaine, K. R., Manstead, A. S. R., & Wagner, H. L. (1993). Optimism, perceived control over stress, and coping. European Journal of Personality, 7(4), 267–281.CrossRef
Fraser, K., & Tucker, C. (1997). Individuation, stress, and problem-solving abilities of college students. Journal of College Student Development, 38(5), 461–467.
Garmezy, N. (1993). Children in poverty: Resilience despite risk. Psychiatry Interpersonal and Biological Processes, 56(1), 127–136.CrossRef
Gibb, J. (1990). The Hope Scale revisited: Further validation of a measure of individual differences in the hope motive. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Gore, P. A., Leuwerke, W. C., & Turley, S. (2006). A psychometric study of the College Self-Efficacy Inventory. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice, 7(3), 227–244.CrossRef
Greenbank, P. (2007). From foundation to honours degree: The student experience. Education and Training, 49(2), 91–102.CrossRef
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York: The Guilford Press.
Hojat, M., Gonnella, J. S., Erdmann, J. B., & Vogel, W. H. (2003). Medical students’ cognitive appraisal of stressful life events as related to personality, physical well-being and academic performance: A longitudinal study. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(1), 219–235.CrossRef
Holroyd, K. A., & Lazarus, R. S. (1982). Stress, coping and somatic adaptation. In C. Goldberger & S. Breznitz (Eds.), Handbook of stress: Theoretical and clinical aspects (pp. 21–35). New York: Free Press.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modelling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55.CrossRef
Humphrey, R., McCarthy, P., Popham, F., Charles, Z., Garland, M., Gooch, S., et al. (1998). Stress and the contemporary student. Higher Education Quarterly, 52(2), 221–242.CrossRef
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (1981). LISREL V: Analysis of linear structural relationships by maximum likelihood and least squares methods. University of Uppsala, Department of Statistics.
Karademas, E., & Kalantzi-Azizi, A. (2004). The stress process, self-efficacy expectations, and psychological health. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(5), 1033–1043.CrossRef
Khalsa, D. S. (1997). The ageless mind: New developments in the prevention and reversal of memory loss. Hilton: Head Island.
Kjeldstadli, K., Tyssen, R., Finset, A., Hem, E., Gude, T., Grønvold, N. T., et al. (2006). Life satisfaction and resilience in medical school—a six-year longitudinal, nationwide and comparative study. BioMed Central Medical Education, 19(6), 48.
Kohn, P. M., Lafreniere, K., & Gurevich, M. (1990). The inventory of college student’s recent life experiences: A decontaminated hassles scale for a special population. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 13(6), 619–630.CrossRef
Lazarus, R. S. (2006). Stress and emotion: a new synthesis. New York: Springer.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
Lopes, M. P., & Cunha, M. P. E. (2008). Who is more proactive, the optimist or the pessimist? Exploring the role of hope as a moderator. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(2), 100–109.CrossRef
Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., & Suh, E. M. (1996). Discriminant validity of well-being measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(3), 616–628.CrossRef
Luthans, F., Luthans, K. W., & Luthans, B. C. (2004). Positive psychological capital: Beyond human and social capital. Business Horizons, 41(1), 45–50.CrossRef
Macaskill, A. (2012). The mental health of university students in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 41(4), 426–441.CrossRef
Macaskill, A., & Denovan, A. (2013). Developing autonomous learning in first year university students using perspectives from positive psychology. Studies in Higher Education, 38(5), 1–19.
Macaskill, A., & Denovan, A. (2014). Assessing psychological health: The contribution of psychological strengths. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 42(3), 320–337.CrossRef
Magaletta, P. R., & Oliver, J. M. (1999). The hope construct, will and ways: Their relations with self-efficacy, optimism, and general well-being. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(5), 539–551.CrossRef
Mak, W. W. S., Ng, I. S. W., & Wong, C. C. Y. (2011). Resilience: Enhancing well-being through the positive cognitive triad. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 58(4), 610–617.CrossRef
Maxwell, S. E., & Cole, D. A. (2007). Bias in cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal mediation. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 23–44.CrossRef
McKenzie, K., & Schweitzer, R. (2001). Who succeeded at university? Factors predicting academic performance in first year Australian university students. Higher Education Research and Development, 20(1), 21–33.CrossRef
Morton, S., Mergler, A. G., & Boman, P. (2014). Managing the transition: The role of optimism and self-efficacy for first-year Australian university students. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 24(1), 90–108.CrossRef
Muraven, M., Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1999). Longitudinal improvement of self-regulation through practice: Building self-control strength through repeated exercise. Journal of Social Psychology, 139(4), 446–457.CrossRef
National Union of Students. (2008). NUS student experience report. London: NUS.
Neill, J. T., & Dias, K. L. (2001). Adventure education and resilience: The double-edged sword. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 1(2), 35–42.CrossRef
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603–619.CrossRef
Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (2008). The satisfaction with life scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(2), 137–152.CrossRef
Peters, M. L., Flink, I. K., Boersma, K., & Linton, S. J. (2010). Manipulating optimism: Can imagining a best possible self be used to increase positive future expectancies? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(3), 204–211.CrossRef
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A classification and handbook. New York: Oxford University Press.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.CrossRef
Reisberg, L. (2000). Student stress is rising, especially among young women. Chronicle of Higher Education, 46(21), 49–50.
Robotham, D., & Julian, C. (2006). Stress and the higher education student: A critical review of the literature. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 30(2), 107–117.CrossRef
Roddenberry, A., & Renk, K. (2010). Locus of control and self-efficacy: Potential mediators of stress, illness, and utilization of health services in college students. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 41(4), 353–370.CrossRef
Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2011). The Mental Health of Students in Higher Education (Council Report CR112). London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Sax, L. J. (1997). Health trends among college freshmen. Journal of American College Health, 45(6), 252–262.CrossRef
Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A re-evaluation of the life orientation test. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1063–1078.CrossRef
Scheier, M. F., Weintraub, J. K., & Carver, C. S. (1986). Coping with stress: Divergent strategies of optimists and pessimists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1024–1040.CrossRef
Schiffrin, H., & Nelson, K. (2010). Stressed and happy? Investigating the relationship between happiness and perceived stress. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(1), 33–39.CrossRef
Schwarzer, R. (1992). Self-efficacy: Thought control of action. Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14.CrossRef
Shapira, L. B., & Mongrain, M. (2010). The benefits of self-compassion and optimism exercises for individuals vulnerable to depression. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(5), 377–389.CrossRef
Shields, N. (2001). Stress, active coping, and academic performance among persisting and nonpersisting college students. Journal of Biobehavioural Research, 6(2), 65–81.CrossRef
Snyder, C. R. (1994). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. New York: Free Press.
Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., et al. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570–585.CrossRef
Snyder, C. R., Lapointe, A. B., Crowson, J. J., & Early, S. (1998). Preferences of high- and low-hope people for self-referential input. Cognition and Emotion, 12(6), 807–823.CrossRef
Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2005). Handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Snyder, C. R., Shorey, H., Cheavens, J., Pulvers, K. M., Adams, V., & Wiklund, C. (2002). Hope and academic success in college. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 820–826.CrossRef
Solberg, V. S., Gusavac, N., Hamann, T., Felch, J., Johnson, J., Lamborn, S., & Torres, J. B. (1998). The Adaptive Success Identity Plan (ASIP): A career intervention for college students. The Career Development Quarterly, 47(1), 48–95.CrossRef
Solberg, V. S., O’Brien, K., Villarreal, P., Kennel, R., & Davis, B. (1993). Self-efficacy and Hispanic college students: Validation of the college self-efficacy instrument. Hispanic Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 15(1), 80–95.CrossRef
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25(2), 173–180.CrossRef
Stewart-Brown, S., Patterson, J., Petersen, S., Doll, H., Balding, J., & Regis, D. (2000). The health of students in institutes of higher education: An important and neglected public health issue. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 22(4), 492–499.CrossRef
Suh, E., Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1996). Events and subjective well-being: Only recent events matter. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(5), 1091–1102.CrossRef
Tanaka, J. S. (1987). “How big is big enough?”: Sample size and goodness of fit in structural equation models with latent variables. Child Development, 58(1), 134–146.CrossRef
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 271–322.CrossRef
Tchen, G., Carter, A., Gibbons, P., & McLaughlin, P. (2001). What is the relationship between indicators of stress and academic performance in first year university students? A prospective study. Journal of Institutional Research, 10(2), 1–12.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Unite. (2004). Student living report. Bristol: MORI.
Vaez, M., Kristenson, M., & Laflamme, L. (2004). Perceived quality of life and self-rated health among first-year university students. A comparison with their same age working peers. Social Indicators Research, 68(2), 221–234.CrossRef
Vollrath, M. (2000). Personality and hassles among university students: A three-year longitudinal study. European Journal of Personality, 14(3), 199–215.CrossRef
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070.CrossRef
Weinberger, M., Hiner, S. L., & Tierney, W. M. (1987). In support of hassles as a measure of stress in predicting health outcomes. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 10(1), 19–31.CrossRef
Weiss, A., King, J. E., & Enns, R. M. (2002). Subjective well-being is heritable and genetically correlated with dominance in chimpanzees (pan troglodytes). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1141–1149.CrossRef
Yates, S. M. (2002). The influence of optimism and pessimism on student achievement in mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 14(1), 4–15.CrossRef
Zautra, A., Johnson, L., & Davis, M. (2005). Positive affect as a source of resilience for women in chronic pain. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(2), 212–220.CrossRef
Zika, S., & Chamberlain, K. (1992). On the relation between meaning in life and psychological well-being. British Journal of Psychology, 83(1), 133–145.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Stress and Subjective Well-Being Among First Year UK Undergraduate Students
Authors
Andrew Denovan
Ann Macaskill
Publication date
05-04-2016
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Journal of Happiness Studies / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 1389-4978
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7780
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9736-y

Other articles of this Issue 2/2017

Journal of Happiness Studies 2/2017 Go to the issue

Research Paper

When Theory and Research Collide: Examining Correlates of Signature Strengths Use at Work

Research Paper

The Relationship Between Size of Living Space and Subjective Well-Being

Book Review

Less Happiness in Cities, but Why and so What? One More Reason to Stop Overpopulation

Research Paper

Hope and the Academic Trajectory of College Students

Research Paper

Values Realized in Personal Strivings and Motivation, and Meaning in Life in Polish University Students

Research Paper

Measuring Socio-economic Factors and Sensitivity of Happiness