1. Objectifs

Intentions :
Two objectives were pursued in this study:
- The first objective was to explore individual variations in perceived security to parents, expectations of social support, and socioemotional adjustment during the trannsition by considering the separation as a moderating factor.
- The study’s second objective was to evaluate the predictive relations between (a) perceived security to parents and (b) social support expectations and socioemotional adjustment.

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Participant were drawn from a larger sample of 459 students who were involved in an initial study. A total of 298 students completed the questionnaire (65% of the initial sample). The students were between 15 and 20 years old and female adolescents made up 76% of the sample. All participants were native french-speaking.

Instruments :
Participants completed six self-report measures to assess attachment security, general and specific perceptions of social support (PSS), and perceptions of emotional adjustment throughout the transition.
Perceived Security to Parents:
- Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA)
General perceptions of Social Support:
- Interpersonal Support Evaluation List
Specific Perceptions of Social Support:
- Measure of Perceptions of Social Support Specific to Worrisome Events (MPSS-E)
- Adapatation of the Social Network Inventory (SNI)
Socioemotional Adjustment Problems:
- The Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS)
- UCLA Loneliness Scale-Revised

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« The 2 objectives of this study were the following: (a) to evaluate individual variations in adolescents’ perceived security to parents, social support expectations, and socioemotional adjustment during the high-school college transition, and (b) to test whether perceived security to parents predicts changes in support expectations and socioemotional adjustment across the transition. A unique aspect of this study was the comparaison between adolescents who left home to attend college and those who did not. On 2 occasions, 298 adolescents were met: at the end of high school and during the first semester in college. Perceived security to parents showed high test-retest correlation stability, significantly more than did perceptions of social support and emotional adjustment. During the transition, the adolecents who had left their families to attend college experienced improved means of perceived security, decreased perceptions of social support, and increased feelings of loneliness and social anxiety. Finally, perceived security to parents at the end of high school predicts positive changes in expectations of support and socioemotional adjustment across the transition. » (p. 1)