This study examined the effect of college students’ psychological independence on college adjustment and to investigate the mediating effect of ego identity and the moderated mediating effect of peer relationships in the relationship between psychol...
This study examined the effect of college students’ psychological independence on college adjustment and to investigate the mediating effect of ego identity and the moderated mediating effect of peer relationships in the relationship between psychological independence and college adjustment. Through this, the study sought to clarify the structural relationships among these variables and to identify the pathways through which psychological independence influences college adjustment, thereby providing foundational data for promoting successful adjustment to college life among college students.
This study selected courses through convenience sampling at one four-year university located in Jeollanam-do and included a total of 536 undergraduate students who were enrolled in one general education course and eleven major courses. Among the collected questionnaires, 27 responses with missing items or insincere answers were excluded, and a total of 509 questionnaires were used for the final data analysis.
Psychological independence was measured using the Psychological Independence Scale for College Students developed by Moon(2018). Ego identity was assessed using the Korean Ego Identity Scale originally developed by Park(1996) and later revised and supplemented by Lee (1999). College adjustment was measured using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire(SACQ) developed by Baker and Siryk (1984), which was translated and modified by Baik(2011). Peer relationships were measured using a scale reconstructed by Yoo, Han, and Kim(2002), which was based on selected items from the Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI) developed by Furman and Buhrmester(1985).
All collected data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 27.0. Cronbach’s α coefficients were calculated to assess the reliability of each measurement instrument and Pearson’s correlation analyses were conducted. To examine the mediating effects, SPSS PROCESS Macro(Model 4) was employed, and the significance of indirect effects was tested using the bootstrapping method. To analyze the moderated mediating effects, SPSS PROCESS Macro(Model 7) was used, with bootstrapping applied to test the significance of the moderation effects.
The main findings of the study are summarized as follows.
First, correlation analyses revealed significant relationships among the major variables. Specifically, psychological independence showed significant positive correlations with ego identity, peer relationships, college adjustment, and its subscales(academic, social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and institutional attachment). Ego identity was also positively correlated with peer relationships, college adjustment, and all subscales. Peer relationships showed significant positive correlations with college adjustment and its subscales.
Second, the mediating effect of ego identity in the relationship between psychological independence and college adjustment was examined. The results indicated that ego identity had a mediating effect on overall college adjustment and all subscales. The effects of psychological independence on academic adjustment and emotional adjustment became non-significant when ego identity was included, supporting a full mediation effect. In contrast, the effects of psychological independence on overall college adjustment, social adjustment, and institutional attachment decreased but remained statistically significant, indicating partial mediation.
Third, the moderating effect of peer relationships in the relationship between psychological independence and ego identity was examined. Both the main effects of psychological independence and peer relationships were significant, and the interaction term was also statistically significant.
Fourth, the moderated mediating effect of peer relationships on the influence of psychological independence and ego identity on college adjustment was examined. The results showed that peer relationships had a significant moderated mediating effect on overall college adjustment and all subscales.
In conclusion, this study confirmed the mediating effect of ego identity and the moderated mediating effect of peer relationships in the relationship between college students’ psychological independence and college adjustment. The findings are significant in that they empirically demonstrate the importance of ego identity and peer relationships in understanding college adjustment. These results suggest the need for interventions that focus on ego identity and peer relationships in the relationship between psychological independence and college adjustment, and they provide foundational data for the development of counseling, educational, and psychological support programs aimed at enhancing college adjustment among college students.