Introduction
Students’ adjustment to novel social and academic settings is an urgent modern problem. This is because the professional career and personal development of future specialists largely depend on the success of the adaptation process. First-year students are the most vulnerable in this regard. At the initial stage of their studies, they are faced with many difficult life situations that can lead to stress. According to Schofield et al. (2016), these include a change of residence and the separation from their familiar environment, the comparative freedom of student life, and increased mental and physical stress. Therefore, this research aims to examine newcomers’ social connectedness and personality traits, including conscientiousness, as related factors of psychological stress in the adaptation process in the first year of university studies.
Social connectedness is an essential aspect of the successful adaptation of first-year students and the reduction of their stress levels. Nguyen et al. (2019) affirm that social bonds are a predictor of depression among college students and acculturation stress among international students. International students leaving their country to study in a completely new environment lose touch with their past connections. These losses pose a threat to the student’s mental health and also contribute to the development of depression. Thus, the construction of social relations in everyday communication is one of the critical tasks of students’ socialization, which helps reduce the stress level of newcomers.
Social connectedness is of particular importance in the context of the widespread introduction of restrictive measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It forced students to study from home through virtual online platforms, which damaged their social connections. Al-Kumaim et al. (2021) state that when students find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, when former social connections are lost and new ones have not yet been built, they endure stress and poor mental health. Moreover, according to Craig et al. (2020), women show significantly higher depression, anxiety, social phobias, and PTSD symptoms than men in isolation associated with COVID-19. In turn, Ellis et al. (2020) found that stress among students in the COVID-19 context was associated with greater loneliness, while those who spent more time with their family had fewer symptoms of mental illness. Therefore, in the conditions of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of social connectedness for freshmen students is actualized.
One of the critical aspects of overcoming stress by first-year students is their personality traits. In this regard, conscientiousness plays a particular role, including reliability, responsibility, and carefulness in work, discipline, self-control, and organization. Pollak et al. (2020) study results show that conscientiousness is a positive predictor of stress. Thus, students characterized by conscientiousness and fear of making a mistake react with anxiety in situations requiring them to adhere to high standards. The same idea is supported by a study by Ervasti et al. (2019), according to which conscientiousness is negatively associated with reflection, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and stress. However, Poropat (2009) notes that conscientiousness is the most reliable predictor of academic performance. Morris and Fritz (2015) took this issue even further by looking at conscientiousness in coursework and exam preparation. Scientists have found that the impact of conscientiousness in coursework is more significant than in exam preparation. Thus, while conscientiousness is a factor in high academic performance, this trait contributes to increased stress in students.
Based on the consideration of the above sources, the following hypotheses can be presented:
- H1 Social connectedness has a negative relationship with student stress.
- H2 Conscientiousness is a positive predictor of student stress.
Method
Participants
For the purpose of this study, 525 students were involved in the study as participants and their data were collected. The study aims at identifying students who are transitioning to their tertiary studies. Therefore, only first-year students were eligible as participants in the study. Their information such as age, sex, and degree major of 384 participants was collected and analyzed as provided in tables 1, 2 and 3 below.
Table 1: Age.
Table 2: Biological sex.
Table 3: Degree major.
The participants’ ages ranged from 17 to 51 with a mean of 19.52. Out of the 384 participants, 288 were female, 95 were male, and 1 was binary. In addition, a majority of the participants (319) were Psychology students, while 65 pursued other courses. The total number of participants was 384.
Materials
This study utilized a quantitative research method where participants were required to fill out questionnaires in an online survey. Students used their student registration number to access the questionnaire and were requested to fill it out alone. The participant’s identity was not revealed to protect their confidentiality. Multiple choice questions were used in the first section where participants were required to tick the box containing their sex and course. Since the questionnaire targeted a huge number of psychology students, the questions were to be answered whether one was a psychology student or was pursuing another major. However, the question about age was open-ended as no specific age group was targeted.
To ensure the credibility and reliability of the findings, three scales were used to measure different aspects of the participants. To begin with, is the OCEANIC scale used to evaluate personality through the five aspects on a continuous scale. The scale is comprised of 45 items and requires students to rate the frequency in which they engage in each of the behavior on a Likert scale which has 6 points. The scale ranges from 1 (I have never engaged in the mentioned behavior) to 6 (I always engage in the mentioned behavior).
In addition, the study utilized the social connectedness scale (revised) to evaluate the degree to which first-year students were connected to their peers. The scale required participants to respond to 20 items which were measured in a possible responses scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). The scale reverse coded items that were negatively coded. The score of the items on the scale is summed where a higher scale reveals a higher level of connectedness and vice versa. To measure the extent to which students transitioning to tertiary education were exposed to stress, this study applied the university stress call which comprises 21 items. Students were required to rate how often various aspects exposed them to stress on a four scale. The scale started from 0 (Not at all) to 3 (constantly). The items on the scale were summed up with the highest score revealing high-stress levels and vice versa.
Procedure
The participants were required to participate in an online survey where students filled in their students’ identification numbers to access the questionnaire. The students were expected to fill in their answers within ten minutes. The participants were required to tick the correct answer on the provided scales. To ensure the correctness and confidentiality of the information provided, the students were required to fill out the questionnaire.
Results
At the analysis stage, the recorded data is processed through coding, data screening, cleaning, and choosing the right method for data analysis. In this study, the collected data were analyzed using a statistical tool known as the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS). The results of the analysis are displayed in table 4 below. Some of the descriptive data can be found to be partially replicated.
Some tips on interpreting the table below:
- N is the symbol for sample size, the total number of participants.
- The mean is a measure of central tendency.
- The standard deviation is a measure of variability in the scores.
Table 4: Descriptive Statistics.
Table 5: Summarized Descriptive Analysis Results.
In addition, Pearson correlation was utilized to establish a clear relationship between the variables being studied (social connectedness, and personality) with students’ stress state. According to the results, a negative significant correlation exists between social connectedness and stress state (r=426, p=001), and positive correlation between conscientiousness and students’ stress levels (r=29, p= -001). Therefore, it is clear that all the variables are positively correlated with each other.
Discussion
This study aims at analyzing the effects of personality traits and social connectedness on a transitioning student’s stress levels. To conduct the study the following hypotheses were formulated:
- H1: Social connectedness has a negative correlation with student stress.
- H2. Conscientiousness has a positive correlation with student stress.
Students’ social connectedness refers to the degree to which students are connected to each other. Socially connected students shared particular resources, conducted discussions on various topics, undertake social events together, among other activities. Students that are not socially connected live a private life where they rarely interact in most situations. On the other hand, conscientiousness refers to the degree to which one aims at perfecting their actions and duties towards all things. Conscientious people leave little or no room for mistakes, they fear the consequences of taking chances in their doing. The opposite of a conscientious person is an easy-going individual. When transitioning to the tertiary institutions, students may face various challenges due to exposure to new environments. These challenges may result in psychological disturbances leading to the formation of student stress. However, some students may experience higher levels of stress than others due to their degree of social connectedness and personality traits.
To determine how the two factors influence students’ stress levels, an online survey was conducted where only first-year students were eligible participants. The questionnaires consisted of multiple questions to assist the researchers in vividly establishing the students’ personality traits and levels of social connectedness. The results were collected and analyzed using a statistical tool SPSS to establish distributive frequencies and Pearson’s correlation. The results of the analysis reveal a negative correlation between social connectedness and students’ stress levels. On the other hand, conscientiousness was found to have a positive correlation to students’ stress levels. In broader terms, the students who were socially connected were found to have lesser stress levels, while conscientious students were found to have a higher level of stress. Social connectedness helps students handle stress factors as a group making it easier to find a solution. A conscientious person is fearful of making mistakes. They take every task with optimal seriousness, even relationships with other students making them vulnerable to disappointments.
Limitations of the Study
Despite the significant success factors of the study, it had some limitations. To begin with, the survey targeted psychology students who were aware of how to deal with stress factors and thus was not fit for generalization of University all students. Secondly, the survey applied a small sample size to conduct the research this could be faulty. Lastly, the researchers had a limited time to conduct the research and hence could have omitted some important aspects influencing students’ stress levels.
Recommendations for Further Study
As this study only specializes in establishing how personal traits and social connectedness influence student stress levels, it does not establish whether financial status is essential in dealing with students’ psychological state. When transitioning to a tertiary institution, a student may require a high amount of financial support to Carter for the school and personal requirements. Shortage or lack of financial support could lead to increased stress levels and affect social connectedness among certain students.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, there are a number of factors that could lead to increased stress levels, especially during the transitioning period. To handle such challenges, students should form a strong social circle where they can discuss issues affecting them, share social events, and encourage one another. Moreover, as much as conscientiousness could be a positive trait when applied in different aspects, during the transition period, it is advisable that a student be easygoing as they are unaware of what to expect in the institution.
References
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Ellis, W. E., Dumas, T. M., Forbes, L. M. (2020). Physically isolated but socially connected: Psychological adjustment and stress among adolescents during the initial COVID-19 crisis.Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 52(3), 177–187. Web
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