Hardiness and
Psychological WellBeing 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
1. To examine the factors that contribute
to college students perceptions of
well-being
2. To determine the impact of hardiness
on
– perceived educational barriers,
– cultural fit, and
– overall psychological well-being
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?
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
60
50
40
25.7
20
0
2
Asian
9
3
Black Chicano Latino
7.5
0.44
Native
% Total
White
1.99
Other Foreign
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
18
Demographics
Ethnicity of Sample
4%
6.5%
Status
2.5%
15.5%
0.5%
11%
52%
Value
Male
13%
Female
87%
Upperclassmen
53%
Lowerclassmen
47%
First generation
60%
Family income
above $70,000
48%
Mean income
$5059,000
Results
One-way ANOVA by
•
•
•
•
Class standing
– Differences for
• PWB
Ethnicity
– Differences for
• PWB
• HRD
Generation
– Differences for
• UES
• PWB
• HRD
SES
– Differences for
• PWB
• HRD
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
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
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
Hardiness
Cultural Congruity
Perceived Barriers
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!!!