A cross-sectional study of social factors in predicting aspects of student resilience

Background: Over time psychological theories have moved away from defining resilience as a hardy personality trait in favour of conceptualising it as a more dynamic, situational process, underpinned by both individual traits and socio-environmental factors. However, the role of social factors remains relatively under researched, particularly when looking at resilience within an academic context. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of social factors in predicting aspects of resilience in undergraduate students. Methods: A cross-sectional design with between- and within-subject comparisons was employed. 160 undergraduate students, aged 18 to 65 years, attending a London university, completed a self-report, online questionnaire measuring demographics, perceived control over positive and negative events, self-esteem, subjective wellbeing, social identification with peers, family and university, academic self-concept, and engagement with and satisfaction with support from academic and non-academic social networks. Findings: A hierarchical linear regression revealed that self-esteem was predicted by year group, academic self-concept and subjective wellbeing. A strong positive correlation was found between social identification with university and family and subjective wellbeing. MANOVA revealed year group differences in self-esteem and age group differences in perceived academic effort and engagement with academic support networks. Discussion: Findings suggest that students become more negative about their sense of self and academic ability throughout their studies. However, engaging with university and having a strong sense of social identification with university might off-set this negativity. Implications for how universities can better support the welfare of students will be discussed