Multidimensional student adjustment and perceived stress among first-year university students

The transition into university is associated with heightened academic, emotional, and social demands that may increase psychological stress among first-year students. Although student adjustment is commonly viewed as a protective resource, limited research has examined whether different adjustment dimensions exert distinct effects on perceived stress, particularly within collectivist higher education contexts. This study investigated the relationships between academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal–emotional adjustment, institutional attachment, and perceived stress among first-year university students in Malaysia. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 412 first-year undergraduates at a Malaysian public university and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that academic and personal–emotional adjustment were negatively associated with perceived stress, indicating a protective role during the early university transition. In contrast, social adjustment was positively associated with stress, suggesting that social engagement may simultaneously function as a psychological demand during the early stages of adaptation. Institutional attachment did not significantly predict stress. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that adjustment dimensions operate asymmetrically and contextually rather than uniformly reducing stress. The findings highlight the importance of developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive support strategies for first-year university students.