Understanding Changes in Perceived Stress During College Transition: A Social Comparison Perspective

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• The transition to university is a critical period for psychological adjustment.
• Perceived stress levels and their trajectories are important indicators of student well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the average and heterogeneous trajectories of perceived stress.
• To examine the association between social comparison orientation (SCO) and stress trajectories during the university transition.
• To identify distinct subgroups of students based on their stress patterns.

Main Methods:

• A four-wave longitudinal study was conducted over 3 months with 745 Chinese university freshmen.
• Latent growth modelling and growth mixture modelling were used to analyze stress trajectories and identify subgroups.
• Regression analyses examined the predictive role of ability-based and opinion-based SCO on stress patterns.

Main Results:

• Perceived stress followed a nonlinear trajectory, peaking initially, declining mid-semester, and rebounding before exams.
• Two distinct stress pathways were identified: a high-rebound group (79.87%) and a moderate-decline group (20.13%).
• Higher ability-based SCO was linked to higher initial stress, greater mid-semester stress decrease, and a stronger end-of-term rebound, predicting membership in the high-rebound group.

Conclusions:

• Mean-level analyses can obscure important variations in student stress experiences.
• Ability-based social comparison is a significant factor influencing stress adaptation during university transition.
• Understanding diverse stress pathways is crucial for developing tailored support strategies for freshmen.