The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of the perceptions of parents' expectations for the future careers of children on academic and employment stress among college students, focusing on the moderating effects of self-differentia...
The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of the perceptions of parents' expectations for the future careers of children on academic and employment stress among college students, focusing on the moderating effects of self-differentiation. Data were collected from 427 college students enrolled in ten private universities located in Seoul. Based on recommendations from the literature review, the questionnaire measurements consisted of the perceptions of parents' expectations for the future careers of children scales, academic and employment stress scales, and self-differentiation scales.
The major findings of this study are as follows: First, the college students showed low levels of perceptions of parents' expectations for their future careers. They also reported moderate levels of academic and employment stress, and slightly high levels of self-differentiation. There were significant differences in levels of perceptions of parents' expectations for future careers of children and self-differentiation according to students' gender and college group. There was also a significant difference in levels of employment stress according to college group. Second, students' academic stress were significantly predicted by the perceptions of parents' expectations for their future careers, while fathers' expectations significantly predicted their employment stress. Finally, students' self-differentiation negatively moderated the relationships between perceptions of parents' expectations for their future careers and academic stress.