Journal of College Student Development

Although the majority of students successfully navigate the transition to university, a significant number experience considerable adjustment difficulties (Beiter et al., 2015). According to the ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1986), the social environment can contribute to positive functioning by exposing individuals to supportive networks and opportunities for personal growth. Therefore, the support provided for new university students by the proximal settings in which they reside, such as family and peer contexts, determines whether they are able to successfully navigate the transition to university while struggling with the tangible task of individuation (Laible, Carlo, & Raffaelli, 2000).

University students spend a considerable proportion of their waking hours outside their family homes. As a result, peer support becomes increasingly salient during university transition; it has a profound influence on students’ day-to-day behavior and can facilitate their learning and development (Roman, Cuestas, & Fenollar, 2008). However, despite their growing reliance on peers for support, the vast majority of university students continue to depend on their parents for emotional support and advice. Research has indicated that parental support facilitates adjustment because young people in a warm and accepting family atmosphere feel more secure in their exploration of new commitments (Maccoby & Martin, 1983). A distinct aspect of Chinese culture is its emphasis on familial ties (Huang & Gove, 2012). Given the collectivist nature of Chinese culture, it is particularly important to consider the potential benefits of familial support in the Chinese postsecondary setting. We hypothesized that social support from both family and peers is negatively correlated with stress and positively correlated with academic competence, social acceptance, and aspiration to continue education.

Although the contribution of family support and peer support to university adjustment has been examined separately, few attempts have been made to explore the mechanism underlying this relation. This is the first study in the Asian context to test the role of self-esteem in mediating the effect of social support on first-year university adjustment outcomes. Self-esteem is a measure of one’s positive or negative attitudes toward oneself (Rosenberg, 1965). Higher self-esteem is vital to a variety of developmental outcomes in early adulthood, such as the transition to university, whereas lower self-esteem has been related to poorer adjustment (Hickman, Bartholomae, & McKenry, 2000). Perceived self-esteem stems from social attachments to others that reflect positively on oneself and [End Page 129] provide interpersonal support (Friedlander, Reid, Shupak, & Cribbie, 2007). High self-esteem developed as a result of social support from family and peers may increase individuals’ belief in their ability to solve problems, leading to better university adjustment. Therefore, we hypothesized that self-esteem mediates the impact of family support and peer support on university adjustment.