A Qualitative Study of Students\u27 Experiences of Adversarial Growth at University

Most people will experience adversity in their lives. Research has shown that people may experience positive growth after an adverse event. University can be an adverse event for students. This study investigates whether students experience adversarial growth because of their university experience and the process by which this growth occurs. Eight participants (five male, three female) took part in semi-structured interviews during which they were asked about their experiences of growth during their time at university. Using thematic analysis, five themes were established from the interviews: 1) Sources of stress, 2) Experience not matching expectations, 3) Areas of positive growth, 4) Areas of negative growth, 5) Coping strategies/support. Results indicated that most participants had experienced adversarial growth