Impact of a Social Support Intervention on the Transition to University

University marks an important transition in many people's lives, from adolescence to young adulthood. University students often move away from home, establish new friendships, and attempt to cope with academic work that may be much more demanding than that which they have previously experienced. Many have difficulty in making this transition, as evidenced by the fact that a high proportion (up to 40%) of students who enter university fail to complete their degrees. The present study assessed the impact of a support group intervention for students entering their first year of university. Students attended six weekly 90-minute sessions led by male and female facilitators. The sessions focused on issues such as forming new social ties, residential concerns, and how to balance academic and social demands. Social support and transition adjustment measures were administered to three nine-member intervention groups (N=27), and to randomly assigned comparison participants (N=28). For two of the three intervention groups, results indicated that those involved in the discussions experienced better adjustment to university and more gains in social support than did those in the non-intervention group. A third group was omitted from the analyses because delivery of the intervention was compromised for various reasons. Results are discussed with an emphasis on factors influencing the intervention's effectiveness.