Correlates of adjustment to the University amongst first-year students

Two investigations were carried out an a sample of students atttending the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar: one at the beginning of the study period and the other after the freshman year. The purpose of the investigation was to establish whether the styles of coping measured by Endler's and Parker's CISS questionnaire are stable dispositions and to see how they connect with indicators of positive and negative adjustment to being a student and with priorly identified individual and environmental predictors of adjustment. Results confirm the stability of three styles of coping: problem-focused coping strategies, emotion-focused and avoidance coping strategies. Amongst these the most stable strategy is the emotion-focused one. It was shown that none of the styles of coping was connected with the indicator of positive adjustment to study, that is, with satisfaction regarding educational success during the freshman year. The indicator of negative adjustment, that is, the evaluation of stress during the freshman year is negatively connected with problem-focused coping strategies and positively with emotion-focused strategies. Self-esteem is connected both with positive and negative adjustment to being a student and with the styles of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. The nature of this connection indicates the moderating role played by self-esteem.