1 Psychosocial resource: optimism and social support
Fortunately, a number of psychosocial resources can protect students’ well-being. These resources include student characteristics such as optimism, effective coping strategies, and high self-esteem that can buffer against poor psychological health when facing the academic challenges of the freshman year in college .Psychosocial resources protecting against ill health also include various resources such as social support, institutional programs, and campus counseling centers.
From the range of potential psychosocial resources, the current study focuses on dispositional optimism and social support. These factors have been shown to buffer individuals against stress and depression and may protect freshman students’ health when facing the challenges of the transition year in college. Students with greater optimism, or a general expectation that good things will happen, are likely to experience less stress and depression than their less optimistic counterparts. Likewise, students with strong support systems of family, friends, and significant others are likely to experience lower levels of stress and depression compared to those with weaker social support. Freshman students who lack social support are vulnerable to loneliness and especially susceptible to depression.
Although optimism and social support may benefit student of psychological wellbeing by protecting them against excessive stress and depression, these psychosocial factors are somewhat difficult for college educators to enhance among their freshman students. Dispositional optimism is thought to be trait-like and is resistant to change. Thus, it would not be feasible for educators to attempt to increase students’ dispositional optimism. Similarly, it can be difficult for educators to try to enhance students’ social support outside of offering formal academic support or encouraging their participation in student activities in the hope that they will form new supportive friendships.
Given the limitations to bolstering students’ optimism and social support, it would be useful to identify other psychosocial factors that benefit well-being and protect students against stress and depression during the freshman year. It is particularly useful to examine factors that are more malleable than optimism and support so that educators may attempt to enhance such factors among their freshman students within the academic context. One psychosocial factor that may fit these requirements, and is the focus of the current study, is perceived academic control.