Download or read book The Effects of First Generation Status on the Well-being of Undergraduate Students written by Jaime Lynn Wetzel and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The current study explored the effects of non-traditional choices on psychological well-being. Participants were divided into groups by their generational status. First generation college students (FGC) reported that neither of their parents had any college experience while the students from college educated families (CEF) reported that one or both of their parents had some education beyond high school. The study utilized self-report, archival data. The Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989) provided overall well-being scores as well as six subscales. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988), two subscales of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (Bake & Siryk, 1984), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) were also used. These three constructs were also understood in their relationship to well-being. The results suggest that self-esteem and social support from friends are important factors for all college students. Academic adjustment appeared to be related to well-being for all students but was more predictive of well-being for the FGC students. In looking at perceived social support from family, FGC students indicated a negative correlation between this type of support and their feelings of autonomy. Similarly, a linear regression model for CEF students showed that perceived social support from family was one of three variables in a model predicting well-being. No significant group differences were observed in the reports of overall well-being, perceived social support, self-esteem, or adaptation to college. This was contrary to what was hypothesized, but may be the result of a unique sample which included many older, African American women who commuted to school. Considerations of the sample and its influence on the findings have been included. Suggestions for future research address the need to produce more generalizable findings and further differentiate between the needs of FGC students and the needs of new college students in general.