Psychological prerequisites for academic adaptation disorders in first-year Vietnamese students

Abstract

This article aims to identify the psychological prerequisites for impaired academic adaptation in first-year Vietnamese students and to outline the focus of a psychological assistance program. The study involved 224 first-year students of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Labor (Vietnam), mean age 18.46 ± 1.90 years. The study employed interviews and the following questionnaires: the Academic Adaptation of Students Questionnaire (Shamionov et al. 2022); the Socio-Psychological Adaptation Questionnaire (K. Rogers, R. Diamond); the Study of Psychological Structure of Temperament Questionnaire (B. N. Smirnov), and the Adjustment Disorder–New Module 20. All methods were translated into Vietnamese and tested using the necessary statistical procedure. Based on the Academic Adaptation of Students Questionnaire, the sample was divided into three groups with low (LA), average (AA) and high (HA) levels of academic adaptation. Motivational, cognitive, personal and communicative components of adaptation were predominant in the AA and HA groups. Psychophysiological readiness for academic activity was significantly higher among HA students, who also demonstrated lower levels of stress concern, anxiety and depressed mood. LA students exhibited lower psychophysiological readiness and higher psychophysical stress during their studies. According to interviews, they reported difficulties in organizing their studies and in relationships with classmates and teachers, struggled to cope with academic stress, and had lower academic performance than other students. LA students scored significantly lower on socio-psychological adaptation measures (self-acceptance, acceptance of others, emotional comfort, and internality). The psychophysiological readiness indicator had negative correlations with stress concerns (-0.601), depressed mood (-0.409), anxiety (-0.551), and inability to adapt (-0.525 p<0.01), highlighting the relevance of developing a psychological assistance program for LA students aimed at enhancing self-acceptance, time management skills, and stress-coping strategies.