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

This study investigated both average and heterogeneous trajectory of perceived stress, as well as their associations with social comparison orientation (SCO), during the initial months of the transition to college-a critical period for psychological adjustment. A total of 745 university freshmen in China participated in a four-wave longitudinal study over 3 months. Latent growth modelling indicated that, in the overall sample, perceived stress followed a nonlinear trajectory, beginning at a relatively high level, declining during mid-semester, and slightly rebounding before examinations. Growth mixture modelling further revealed two distinct pathways: a high-rebound group (79.87%) and a moderate-decline group (20.13%). Analyses of predictors revealed that higher ability-based SCO was associated with higher initial stress, relatively larger mid-semester decreases, and a stronger tendency for end-of-term rebound in the overall sample. Moreover, students higher in ability-based SCO were also more likely to belong to the high-rebound group. In contrast, opinion-based SCO did not significantly predict stress trajectories. These findings demonstrate that mean-level analyses can mask meaningful subgroup differences, highlight ability-based comparison as a key factor in stress adaptation, and provide an empirical basis for tailoring support strategies to students' diverse adjustment pathways during the university transition.