College Students’ Adjustment: The Role of Parent–College Student Expectation Discrepancies and Communication Reciprocity

• Published in: Journal of youth and adolescence Vol. 37; no. 8; pp. 967 - 982
• Main Authors: Agliata, Allison Kanter, Renk, Kimberly
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-09-2008; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adjustment; Adolescents; Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child and School Psychology; Clinical Psychology; College Students; Colleges & universities; Communication; Communication Skills; Couple and family; Cultural differences; Educational psychology; Emotions; Expectation; Families & family life; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Psychology; History of Psychology; Law and Psychology; Original Paper; Parent Attitudes; Parent Child Relations; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Influence; Parent Role; Parents; Parents & parenting; Perceptions; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; Self Concept; Self esteem; Social Competence; Social psychology; Socialization; Student Adjustment; Student Attitudes; Studies; Teenagers; United States of America; Expectations; College Students; Adjustment; Parents; Communication; Human; Academic achievement; Parent; Reciprocity; University environment; Communication Adjustment; Student; College Students Parents; Parent child relation; Social interaction; Adolescent; Young adult; Family environment; Expectation; Predictive factor
• ISSN: 0047-2891; 1573-6601
• DOI: 10.1007/s10964-007-9200-8

Parents’ influence on college students’ adjustment is underestimated frequently. As college students often set goals based on their perceptions of their parents’ expectations, discrepancies between college students’ and their parents’ expectations may be related to their adjustment. The purpose of this study was to examine parent–college student expectation discrepancies and communication reciprocity as predictors of college students’ adjustment in a diverse sample of 69 male and 105 female freshmen and sophomores from a large southeastern university. A subsample of their mothers and fathers also participated in this study. Correlational results revealed that college students report experiencing lower levels of self-worth and adjustment when higher expectation discrepancies are present between themselves and their parents. Regression results also indicated that expectation discrepancies and college students’ perceptions of communication reciprocity are important predictors of college students’ self-worth and adjustment. Such findings suggested that teaching assertive communication skills to college students and their parents may serve as a means of promoting positive outcomes for college students.