First-year students' adaptation to college: The role of family variables and individual coping

To investigate the role of family structure, family conflict, family coping, and individual coping on adjustment to college 139 students (mean age 18.1; 78% women) were surveyed in their first semester of college. For this sample, family conflict, as assessed by the conflict subscale of the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos, 1986) and family coping, as assessed by the Family Crisis Orientation Scale (McCubbin, Thompson, & McCubbin, 1996) but not family structure (divorced vs. married parents) were related to adaptation to college, as assessed by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Baker and Siryk, 1989). Individual coping, as assessed by Holohan and Moos's (1987) coping scale, was also significantly correlated with adaptation to college. A mediational model linking family coping, individual coping, and adaptation to college, was supported.