HOMETOWN SIZE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT TO COLLEGE

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore whether rural students experience more emotional (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress) and social (i.e., loneliness, university attachment) adjustment difficulties than nonrural students. This study consisted of a sample of 99 participants (i.e., 22% were rural and 78% were nonrural; 34% male and 66% female). Participants completed a demographic form, the DASS-21, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the University Attachment Scale. Rural participants were compared to nonrural participants on their depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, and university attachment ratings, and no statistically significant differences were found. The study also found no significant relationship between community size and first-generation status. The results of this study were not consistent with previous research (e.g., Durkin et al., 2003; Meng et al., 2013). The timing of the study (i.e., end of spring semester) may have influenced the results.