Poster #71 - Family Routine and College Adjustment among African American Students: Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Research has demonstrated the relationship between family rituals and adjustment in various domains including higher academic engagement and achievement among African American adolescents (Taylor & Lopez, 2005). Family routines are thought to promote adjustment and stability within the family by providing order and structure through consistent daily activities (Jensen et al., 1983). Research also suggests routines protect against a decreased sense of self-efficacy among youth (Evans et al., 2005; Lanza & Drabick, 2011), which further prevents poor academic and social adjustment (Budescu & Taylor, 2013). Students who are more self-efficacious are more likely to persist through difficulties and strive in less orderly environments such as colleges and universities (Chemers et al., 2001). Based on these moderated relationships, self-efficacy may also mediate the association between family routine and the three facets of college adjustment (i.e., academic, social, and emotional). Therefore, we predict that students who have strong family routines will be more self-efficient leading to better college adjustment.
Methods
Participants
Participants were 92 African American undergraduates (80.4% female), with mean age 22.33 years (SD = 4.86).
Procedure
Participants were recruited using a Human Subject Pool Management Software, Sona. Participants completed questionnaires and two social stress tasks.
Measures
Family Routine. Strength-promoting family routines were assessed using the FRI (Jensen et al., 1983).
Self-efficacy. General self-efficacy was measured using the GSE (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995).
College adjustment. Academic, social, and emotional adjustments to college were assessed using the respective subscales of the SACQ (Baker & Siryk, 1989).
Results and Discussion
Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro v3 (Hayes, 2018) for SPSS to assess whether self-efficacy mediates the link between family routine and college adjustment. In all three models of college adjustment, family routine was significantly associated with self-efficacy, β = .20, p = .001. In the academic adjustment model, self-efficacy was related to academic adjustment, β = .07, p < .0001. Additionally, the indirect effect through self-efficacy was significant (β = .01, 95% CI = .004, .026) suggesting mediation. However, the direct effect was not significant, β = .008, p = .33. For the social adjustment model, family routine (β = .02, p < .01) and self-efficacy (β = .03, p < .05) were related to adjustment. Additionally, both the direct (β = .02, 95% CI = .008, .045) and indirect (β = .006, 95% CI = .0003, .0168) effects were significant. Lastly, the emotional adjustment model resulted in an association between self-efficacy and adjustment (β = .10, p < .0001). Furthermore, evidence of mediation was present with a significant indirect effect of family routine on emotional adjustment through self-efficacy, β = .02, 95% CI = .006, .036. However, there was not a direct effect of routine on emotional adjustment, β = .01, 95% CI = -.008, .035. Results support the conceptual rationale that family routine influences adolescents’ self-efficacy, which in turn, increases their academic, social, and emotional adjustment to college. Family routine may promote effective attitudes and behaviors including self-regulation that promote college adjustment.

Authors

• Motunrayo Olaniyan, Temple University
  Presenting Author

• Azeb Gebre, Temple University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ronald Taylor, Temple University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Debra Bangasser, Temple University
  Non-Presenting Author