Developmental trajectory of guilt and shame during the transition to university

The transition into adulthood is often accompanied by increases in negative self-conscious feelings and psychological distress. This study aimed to identify developmental trajectories in guilt and shame and their associations with psychological factors during the first university year.

This cohort study examined changes in guilt and shame in a sample of first-year undergraduate students in China (n=311). Participants completed electronic surveys at the beginning, after two months and twelve months, with outcomes of guilt and shame, and predictors including childhood maltreatment, hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation. A latent growth mixture model was used to analyze the developmental trajectories in guilt and shame, and the associations with potential risk factors were investigated with bivariate binary logistic regression models.

Two classes of guilt and shame trajectories were identified: the largest trajectory was decreasing in guilt whereas the most prevalent class was increasing for shame. Hopelessness was associated with the trajectory of both guilt and shame, whereas sexual abuse only predicted the increased trajectory of shame.

These findings highlighted the different development trajectories and their distinct risk factors in guilt and shame, suggesting that the importance of distinguishing different constructs when studying negative self-conscious.