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The first in the family: Academic acculturation stress and first generation students

The first in the family: Academic acculturation stress and first generation students. Aimee Belanger*, Sharon Rae Jenkins, Ph.D., & Adriel Boals, Ph.D. *Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program Department of Psychology University of North Texas Denton, Texas. Acculturation.

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The first in the family: Academic acculturation stress and first generation students

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  1. The first in the family: Academic acculturation stress and first generation students Aimee Belanger*, Sharon Rae Jenkins, Ph.D., & Adriel Boals, Ph.D. *Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program Department of Psychology University of North Texas Denton, Texas

  2. Acculturation • “When groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original cultural patterns of either or both groups (Redfield, Linton, and Herskovits, 1936, p. 149).”

  3. Acculturation Stress • Distress associated with the acculturative process

  4. First Generation Students • Undergraduates whose parents did not attend or did not complete an undergraduate degree • Can experience acculturation stress when transitioning to college • Called Academic Acculturation Stress (AAS)

  5. Why Do We Care? • Approximately 45% of UNT’s student population is composed of first generation students. • First generation students are more likely to leave college without earning a degree (Ishitani, 2003). • By examining AAS, it is possible to understand what first generation undergraduates are facing and use the information to help them succeed.

  6. The Present Study • The purpose • To compare amounts of social support and psychological well-being in first generation students and later generation students • Hypotheses • First generation students will report: • levels of social support 2. levels of depression 3. levels of satisfaction with life

  7. Methods • Participants • 1,699 undergraduates from the University of North Texas

  8. Methods • Measures • Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) • 3 Subscales • Social support from friends • Social support from family • Social support from a significant other

  9. Methods • Measures • Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self Report (QIDS-SR; Rush et al., 2003) • Used to assess depression • Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction (Q-LES-Q; Endicott, Nee, Harrison, & Blumenthal, 1993) • Measures perceived quality of life

  10. Methods • Procedure • Participants completed these measures as part of an online mass testing session

  11. Results • 2X2 Analysis of Variance • Bonferroni correction • α = .0083 ** p < .01, *** p < .001

  12. Results Finteraction = 8.00 p < .0083 Finteraction = 8.58 p < .0083

  13. Discussion • Hypotheses • First generation students will report: • levels of social support • Social support from friends • Social support from family • Social support from a significant other • levels of depression • In males • In females • levels of satisfaction with life • In males • In females

  14. Discussion • These results indicated that the combination of being female and first generation had the strongest relationship with psychological well-being. • Previous research suggests that women with early on-set depression have lower educational attainment (Brendt et al., 2000).

  15. Applications • Retention and counseling programs for first generation students • Aiding in academic acculturation • Realizing gender has an effect on AAS • Providing additional social support

  16. Acknowledgements • Dr. Adriel Boals • Dr. Sharon Rae Jenkins • Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program • Melissa Londoño • Kelly Durón

  17. References Berndt, E., Koran, L., Finkelstein, S., Gelenberg, A., Kornstein, S., Miller, I., et al. (2000). Lost human capital from early-onset chronic depression. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(6), 940-947. Endicott, J., Nee, J., Harrison, W., & Blumenthal, R. (1993). Quality of life enjoyment and satisfaction questionnaire: A new measure. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 29(2), 321-326. Ishitani, T. (2003). A longitudinal approach to assessing attrition behavior among first-generation students: Time-varying effects of pre-college characteristics. Research in Higher Education, 44, 433–449. Redfield, R., Linton, R., & Herskovits, M. J. (1936). Memorandum for the study of acculturation. American Anthropologist, 38, 149–152. Rush, A., Trivedi, M., Ibrahim, H., Carmody, T., Arnow, B., Klein, D., et al. (2003). The 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), clinician rating (QIDS-C), and self-report (QIDS-SR): A psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression. Biological Psychiatry, 54(5), 573-583. Zimet, G., Dahlem, N., Zimet, S., & Farley, G. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30.

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