title: What predicts adjustment among college students? A longitudinal panel study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Researchers have previously reported that law students and medical students experience significant distress during their first year. The authors suspected that freshmen undergraduates might experience similar distress in their transition to college.
  
  
  METHODS
  They surveyed 242 undergraduate freshmen at the beginning and end of their first year.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors asked participants about their physical health, alcohol use and smoking habits, stress levels, perfectionism, self-esteem, coping tactics, optimism, extroversion, and psychological adaptation to college.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data replicated the declines reported in law and medical students' psychological and physical health. Negative coping tactics and perfectionism predicted poorer physical health and alcohol use at the end of the year; however, optimism and self-esteem predicted better physical and psychological outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future researchers should investigate steps that college administrators can take to help to alleviate some of these problems, such as offering workshops on stress relief to incoming freshmen.
authors: Department of Psychology, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725-1715, USA. marypritchard@boisestate.edu
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Pritchard
authors: Gregory S
authors: GS
authors: Wilson
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Yamnitz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012649:Self Concept; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities