The Role of Spirituality in Psychological Adjustment among College Students

Abstract College-related stress such as academic workload, financial concerns, and interpersonal problems have been associated with college students’ psychological distress (e.g., Chow, 2007; Ross et al., 2005). This study examined how spirituality – comprised of religious well-being (one’s relationship with God) and existential well-being (one’s sense of life purpose)—may buffer against the effect of college-related stress on student’s experience of psychological distress, and enhance their sense of satisfaction with life. An ethnically diverse sample of college students from two public universities in Southern California and New Jersey was recruited. Multiple regression analyses showed that the overall model of spiritual well-being and college-related stress was statistically significant in predicting college students’ psychological distress and satisfaction with life. Moderation analysis indicated that existential well-being, but not religious well-being, significantly moderated the effect of college stress on students’ experience of psychological distress, but not on their satisfaction with life. Suggestions and implications for educators and counselors will be discussed

From the Intrapersonal to the Contextual: A Social Constructionist View on Professional Help-Seeking Attitudes and Behaviors

The study and application of psychological science tend to have a Western bias. Given this, reforming the discipline of psychology and its related fields to better provide a voice to individuals of all backgrounds is an important endeavor. Through vignette discussion, two counseling psychologists will share about their research interests and experiences in this line of work. Specifically, they will talk about how they challenge the individualistic focus in help-seeking research, and how they seek to integrate interpersonal and culturally relevant factors in examining college students’ help-seeking attitudes and behaviors. Drs. Shea and Kim will also share about their current research collaboration, and they will discuss how the anticipated findings have the potential to innovate assessment, development, and delivery of counseling services to students of all backgrounds—both on and beyond SPU campus

Understanding Bereavement among College Students: Implications for Practice and Research

The experience of losing a first-degree family member, followed by a second-degree family, and a close friend is prevalent among college students. Bereavement affects student success as they must balance grief and academics. Culture also influences the expression and experience of grief, making it essential to understand grief and bereavement in context. The recent COVID-19 global pandemic has exacerbated the experience of loss and grief among college students, which warrants a better understanding and intervention for disenfranchised grief. Social and emotional support for disenfranchised grief is not always provided, as this type of grief is often socially unsanctioned. The lack of support and understanding could make it difficult for individuals with disenfranchised grief to cope with the demands of higher education and bereavement process. Counseling implications for how universities and colleges could intervene on the bereaved student's behalf are discussed

Make Healing, not Performance, the Goal for K-12 Schools Amid this Global Pandemic

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had far reaching implications on every aspect of human life – from where we work, to where we feel safe to grocery shop, to how we greet friends. At the same time, the pandemic has exposed long-standing issues of structural racism, xenophobia, social and economic inequities, precipitating multiple large-scale social justice movements and demonstrations in the United States, culminating in “dual public health emergencies.” As Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12) students slowly return to school, educators are grappling with how to support their students amid these overlapping crises. In this paper, we discuss the relevance of trauma-informed pedagogy, with a specific focus on 3Rs – relational connectedness, restored trust, and contextualized resilience. We urge educators to keep the whole child at the center of their curriculum, and to make healing – not performance – the priority for K-12 schools amid and following the global pandemic

College Students’ Academic Achievement: Exploring the Role of Hope and Academic Self-Efficacy

In the present study, the relationships among trait hope, academic self-efficacy, and academic achievement (self-reported GPA) were examined among college students. Demographic differences were analyzed based on college-going status, ethnicity, and gender. First-generation college-going students (FGCS) reported significantly lower levels of hope, academic self-efficacy, and academic achievement when compared to non-FGCS. Male students reported significantly lower academic self-efficacy compared to female students. There was no statistically significant difference between non-White and White students. Overall, academic self-efficacy was a stronger predictor of achievement than hope. Between the two subscales of trait hope, agency was more strongly correlated with academic achievement than pathways. Furthermore, a mediation analysis indicated that academic self-efficacy fully accounted for the relationship between agency and academic achievement, which suggests that perceived capacity and agency to perform tasks in a specific domain may be more strongly associated with academic achievement than a general sense of hope and motivation

How many therapists? Practical guidance on investigating therapist effects in randomized controlled trials for eating disorders

OBJECTIVE: An important question in implementation/dissemination research is whether the efficacy of a given treatment varies in part based on the therapist delivering the treatment. This study sought to provide practical guidance to researchers in the field of eating disorders for building measurement of therapist effects into the design of a typical, relatively small randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHOD: Using assumptions based on past trials of eating disorder treatments, Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine 12 different scenarios based on crossing the number of therapists (between two and five) and the estimated therapist effect size (small, medium, and large). Patient sample size and study design were held constant. RESULTS: There was reasonable power (\u3e/=70%) to detect the therapist effect with three or four therapists and a large effect size. DISCUSSION: Several practical implications for testing therapist effects in RCT are discussed. (c) 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2012