Easing the Transition to College: Understanding the Mediating Factors of Trait Anxiety

Andrew B. McGrath

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract

Trait anxiety is known to influence attention, such that those with greater trait anxiety focus more of their attention on items or situations in the environment they view as a stressor. When making the transition to college, either as a traditional student or non-traditional student, being able to cope with the stresses of starting a new school/starting school again, as well as becoming more independent from ones family of origin or maintaining ones independence, can take its toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. Understanding the mediating factors might help predict who is at an increased risk of experiencing trait anxiety. In this study we examine the effects of age, social support, gender, group, marital status, social desirability, stress, family separation, loneliness, and depression as they relate to trait anxiety, in a path analysis model. It was hypothesized that family separation, loneliness, and depression would have direct effects on trait anxiety with the other variables having indirect effects on trait anxiety. In a model only including the significant paths of the full model, family separation did not directly contribute to trait anxiety while, loneliness, depression, social desirability and stress did. The hypothesized model did not perform as well as the full model. Better understanding the variables that contribute to trait anxiety will aid in interventions with the goal of reducing trait anxiety. PDF

Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion References Full Path Model Hypothesized Path Model Reduced Path Model Correlation Table