Abstract
Objective: To evaluate how family functioning, family contributions to college expenses, and access to mentors are associated with college student’s self-reported health and flourishing, and to test for moderation by family structure. Participants: Undergraduate college students (N=238) recruited through an email list-serve at a large midwestern state university. Methods: Participants completed an online survey (distributed through Qualtrics) in February 2020. Data were analyzed using linear
regression (in SPSS 28) and simple slope analyses. Results: College students’ access to mentors is associated with their self-reported health, and family structure moderates the association between family strengths and self-reported health. Family functioning and access to mentors are both associated with college students’ flourishing. Conclusions: College students’ health and flourishing may benefit from access to mentors and functional family dynamics. Though students from post-divorce families see fewer benefits from family strengths compared to peers in nuclear
biological families.
Keywords: Family structure, flourishing, mentoring, moderation, self-reported health
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