Characteristics of Academic Adaptation and Subjective Well-Being in University Students with Chronic Diseases

Abstract

Studying academic adaptation and subjective well-being in students with chronic diseases can help to explain psychological compensatory mechanisms and help with the development of socio-psychological support programs. It is supposed that the defining role is played by general adaptive potential, and the presence of chronic diseases results in variations in academic adaptation, which, alongside other variables, acts as a predictor of subjective well-being and satisfaction of basic needs. The sample consisted of first-year university students aged 17–26 years (mean = 19.6, SD = 2.8, 18.4% male; n = 419 persons, of which 34.8% with chronic diseases of various etiologies). To evaluate the components of students’ academic adaptation, we used the Academic Adaptation Scale; general adaptive potential was measured using the Multilevel Personal Adaptability Questionnaire; to evaluate subjective well-being, we used the Subjective Well-Being Scale; and satisfaction using the Life Scale. Satisfaction of basic needs was defined with the Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale. Students with chronic diseases demonstrated lower manifested adaptive potential, general markers of academic adaptation, subjective well-being, and satisfaction of basic psychological needs. The results showed that interrelations between various markers in students are largely mediated by academic adaptation and adaptive potential. Thus, the interconnection between adaptive potential and satisfaction of basic needs is significantly mediated by students’ academic adaptation, whereas the interconnection between chronic diseases and academic adaptation is mediated by adaptive potential. In other words, the findings support the assumption regarding the significant mediating role of these variables in subjective well-being. Cognitive, motivational, and communicative components of academic adaptation can serve as compensatory factors for experiencing subjective well-being in students with chronic diseases.