Social-emotional development in emerging adulthood: Factors related to social adjustment in college

This study investigated the relationships among specific social-emotional factors and social adjustment in college students. Specifically, perceived parental attachment, identity, and social self-efficacy were included. In addition, identity and social self-efficacy were examined as mediators of the relationship between parental attachment and social adjustment to college. Results revealed that all three social-emotional factors were directly related to social adjustment to college, however, taken together, these factors accounted for a small portion of the variance in college social adjustment. Analyses also revealed that identity and social self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment and social adjustment to college. Implications of current findings and directions for future research were discussed