Generational Status and Personality Factors as Predictors of Stress in Students

Abstract

To determine the effect of generational status on stress and several personality measures, 247 university students were asked to complete a questionnaire containing a new stress scale designed for use with immigrant students, Coopersmith's brief Self-Esteem Inventory, Rotters Internal/External Locus of Control Scale, and the introversion/extroversion subscale of the Comrey Personality Index. Students were divided into four generational groups consisting of Early Immigrants (immigration prior to age 14 years), Late Immigrants (immigration after the age of 14), Second-generation, and Third/Later generation individuals. Results revealed that the Late Immigrant Group experienced the highest stresses and scored lowest on self-esteem and locus of control. Second-generation subjects resembled the Late Immigrants on stress and the personality measures. Interestingly, the scores of Early Immigrants and Third/Later-generation individuals bore a closer resemblance on most of the measures. No significant sex main effects or sex by generation interactions were observed on any of the measures. Discriminant analysis of the stress measure revealed that the best discriminator of generational status was a Cultural/Family Function followed by a Social/Environmental Function. Together both functions correctly classified 91% of the Late Immigrants and 82% of the total subjects into the four generational groups.