Predictors of students' adjustment during transition to university in Spain / Predictores del ajuste de los estudiantes durante la transición a la Universidad en España

BACKGROUND: Adjustment to university is a major life transition that not all emerging adults manage successfully. The Student University Adjustment Questionnaire is the instrument most commonly used to evaluate this multidimensional construct. Research in Spain on the predisposing factors for successful adjustment to university in emerging adults is scarce relative to the large number of studies carried out in North America. The objective of the present study was to analyze the association between students' gender, family background, pre-university achievement and adjustment to university. METHOD: Participants were 300 Spanish first-year students (198 women and 102 men) of mean age 18.02 years. RESULTS: Pre-university achievement was the only significant predictor of academic, social and institutional adjustment. Gender directly affected personal-emotional adjustment and indirectly affected academic adjustment mediated by entry grade. CONCLUSIONS: Students' entry characteristics predict adjustment to university in the first year. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications

ANTECEDENTES: la adaptación a la universidad es una de las principales transiciones vitales que no todos los adultos emergentes afrontan con éxito. El Cuestionario de Adaptación del Estudiante a la Universidad es el instrumento más empleado para evaluar este constructo multidimensional. En España no existen investigaciones sobre los factores que predisponen a los adultos emergentes a una adaptación exitosa a la universidad respecto al número de investigaciones llevadas a cabo con muestras norteamericanas. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relación entre el género, el background familiar, la nota de acceso y el ajuste a la universidad. MÉTODO: participaron 300 estudiantes españoles de primer año (198 mujeres y 102 hombres) con un promedio de edad de 18,02 años. RESULTADOS: la nota de acceso fue el único predictor significativo del ajuste académico, social e institucional. El género influye de una manera directa sobre el ajuste personal-emocional e indirecta sobre el ajuste académico, mediado por la nota de acceso. CONCLUSIONES: las características de entrada del estudiante predicen su adaptación en el primer año de universidad. Estos resultados tienen importantes implicaciones teóricas y prácticas

Apoyo social en universitarios españoles de primer año: propiedades psicométricas del Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form y el Social Provisions Scale / Social support in Spanish first year university students: Psychometrics properties of the Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form and the Social Provisions Scale

El apoyo social percibido es un constructo multifacético conceptualizado como la valoración cognitiva de que existe una relación de confianza con los otros, con los que se puede contar en caso de necesidad. El objetivo de este trabajo es examinar las propiedades psicométricas de las escalas de apoyo social percibido Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form (SSQ6) y Social Provisions Scale (SPS) en una muestra de 855 universitarios, 575 mujeres y 280 hombres, matriculados en primer año de grado de 16 titulaciones de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (España). El SSQ6 mide las dimensiones de disponibilidad y satisfacción del apoyo percibido, mientras que el SPS evalúa sus funciones. Los análisis factoriales realizados confirman el modelo de dos dimensiones del SSQ6 y la estructura de seis factores del SPS. La consistencia interna de ambas escalas es satisfactoria, al igual que las evidencias de validez obtenidas de las correlaciones entre las dos escalas y sus respectivas subescalas. Los resultados revelan que las versiones españolas del SSQ6 y el SPS son medidas fiables y válidas para la evaluación del apoyo social percibido en población universitaria.

Perceived social support is a multifaceted construct conceptualized as one's cognitive appraisal as to the existence of a connection to others, based on trust, on whom one can rely on when necessary. The aim of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of perceived social support, using the following scales: Social Support Questionnaire-Short Form (SSQ6) and Social Provisions Scale (SPS), on a sample of 855 first year university students - 575 females and 280 males - enrolled in 16 professional degrees at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The SSQ6 Scale assesses the dimensions of perceived support availability and satisfaction, whilst the SPS Scale assesses its social support functions. The factor analysis conducted confirms the SSQ6 Scale's twodimensional model and the SPS Scale's six-factor structure. Internal consistency of both scales is satisfactory, as is the evidence of validity obtained from the correlations between the two scales and their subscales. The results reveal that the Spanish version of the SSQ6 and SPS scales are reliable and valid measurements for assessing perceived social support amongst university students.

The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) for use with Spanish students.

The main purpose of this study was to adapt the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) for use with Spanish students and to examine the psychometric properties of the scores. The adapted version of the scale was applied to a sample of 300 first-year university students. The internal consistency of the full scale and of the subscales was adequate, although the structure of the scale, analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, did not fit satisfactorily to the four-factor model proposed by Baker and Siryk. The goodness of fit of each of four one-factor models, corresponding to each subscale, was tested separately in order to propose a short form of the scale. The resulting scale, comprising 50 items, shows high internal consistency and the relationships between its dimensions are consistent with those obtained in other studies.

Adaptación española de la Escala de Aceptación Percibida (PAS) en estudiantes universitarios / Spanish adaptation of the Perceived Acceptance Scale (PAS) in university students

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es adaptar al castellano la Escala de Aceptación Percibida PAS (Perceived Acceptance Scale), desarrollada por Brock, Sarason, Sanghvi y Gurung, para evaluar el componente cognitivo del apoyo social percibido. En una muestra de 855 estudiantes universitarios matriculados por primera vez en diferentes estudios de grado, se analizó la fiabilidad, la dimensionalidad y la validez externa de las puntuaciones de la escala. Los resultados obtenidos muestran una adecuada consistencia interna tanto de las subescalas (amigos, familia, padre y madre) como de la escala total. La estructura factorial, derivada de un análisis factorial confirmatorio, se ajusta al modelo teórico propuesto por los autores del PAS. Las puntuaciones de la escala evidencian validez convergente y discriminante a partir de las relaciones obtenidas con la escala de provisiones sociales y la escala de apoyo social. Las buenas propiedades psicométricas de la escala adaptada permiten disponer de un instrumento de medida adecuado para evaluar la aceptación percibida de los estudiantes universitarios españoles (AU)

The main objective of the present study was to adapt the Perceived Acceptance Scale (PAS), developed by Brock, Sarason, Sanghvi and Gurung to evaluate the cognitive component of perceived social support, to the Spanish language. In a sample of 855 university students registered for the first time in different degree courses, the reliability, dimensionality and external validity of the scale scores were analyzed. The results show adequate internal consistency in both the subscales (friends, family, father and mother) and in the overall scale. The factorial structure, derived from a confirmatory factorial analysis, fitted the theoretical model proposed by the authors of the scale. The scale scores showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity from the observed relationships with the measures of perceived social support. The psychometric properties of the adapted scale provide an adequate measuring instrument for evaluating perceived acceptance in Spanish university students (AU)

[Spanish adaptation of the Perceived Acceptance Scale (PAS) in university students]. / Adaptación española de la Escala de Aceptación Percibida (PAS) en estudiantes universitarios.

The main objective of the present study was to adapt the Perceived Acceptance Scale (PAS), developed by Brock, Sarason, Sanghvi and Gurung to evaluate the cognitive component of perceived social support, to the Spanish language. In a sample of 855 university students registered for the first time in different degree courses, the reliability, dimensionality and external validity of the scale scores were analyzed. The results show adequate internal consistency in both the subscales (friends, family, father and mother) and in the overall scale. The factorial structure, derived from a confirmatory factorial analysis, fitted the theoretical model proposed by the authors of the scale. The scale scores showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity from the observed relationships with the measures of perceived social support. The psychometric properties of the adapted scale provide an adequate measuring instrument for evaluating perceived acceptance in Spanish university students.