| Abstract [eng] |
Freshmen from a variety of settlements face many challenges when they start studying at university, but at present, due to the global pandemic, distance learning difficulties and greater social exclusion contribute to their experiences. It was observed that most of the students decided to change their place of residence and return to their hometown. The question therefore arises as to how the two groups differ in terms of the emotions they experience, their subjective well-being and the stress management methods used in the context of their place of residence. In answering these questions, the first-year students of Vilnius University were selected by non-probabilistic, “convenient” selection. At the beginning of the study, a pilot study was conducted in which N = 205 freshmen, 162 (79%) girls and 43 (21%) boys participated. In the „Mano anketa“ online platform, participants answered the questionnaire questions, which provided an overview of the students' general living situation and attitudes towards relocation. A follow-up study was performed on the same platform involving N = 169, 121 (71.6%) girls and 48 (28.4%) boys, mean age = 19.4 years. The Lithuanian Psychological Well-Being Scale for Youth, the Stress Coping Questionnaire and a questionnaire were used. SPSS 24 and AMOS 22 programs were used for data analysis. descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations), reliability of scales and tests by internal fit (Cronbach α), Student’s t-test for independent samples, homogeneity criteria, Pearson correlations, and linear regression were calculated. The main results showed that those who remain living in Vilnius feel less safe, sadder and frustrated than those who have returned to their native settlement, and those who return feel less guilt than those who remain in Vilnius. Also, freshmen who are more likely to use problem-solving, are more satisfied with life, self, interpersonal relationships, living standards and feel more in control of their lives are more purposeful and feel less negative emotions and greater subjective well-being. Also, those who are more prone to overcoming stress using avoidance are more purposeful and feel more in control of their lives. They also feel less negative emotions and greater subjective well-being. However, students who use social support strategy during a pandemic its overall well-being, satisfaction with life, self, interpersonal relationships, physical health and standard of living, and a sense of control over life are lower. The more this coping strategy is used, the more negative emotions are experienced. The area of this study is important because it is likely that students in the coming years will face similar difficulties, so the insights gained during this study can provide knowledge about freshmen experiences. |
