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Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about its psychological impacts. The present study therefore investigated two negative states, loneliness and depression, and their temporal relationship, in two samples of emerging adults attending college. The first (N=323) was assessed prior to a stay-at-home order and 4 weeks after the order. To ensure that any findings reflected circumstances occasioned by the stay-at-home order a second pre COVID-19 sample (N=290) was also studied. Results were similar across both samples. No change was found in overall level of depressive symptoms and because the change in loneliness occurred in both samples it could not be attributed to circumstances resulting from the pandemic. Findings in both samples supported a relationship in which loneliness predicted later depressive symptoms and vice versa. The reasons why depressive symptoms might lead to loneliness are discussed. Keywords: depressive symptoms, loneliness, emerging adult, alcohol consumption, The social isolation occasioned by shelter at home orders during COVID-19 prompted concerns about their psychological effects (e.g., Brooks, Webster, Smith, et al., 2020; Razai, Oakeshott, Kankam, et al., 2020). [...]

Academic procrastination is widespread among college students, leads to poorer academic performance and has been related to concurrent stress. Because the direction of effects between procrastination and stress is unclear, two longitudinal studies were conducted. Study 1 (n = 454) showed that mid-semester levels of stress were related to end of semester procrastination controlling for mid-semester procrastination but not vice versa. Study 2 (n = 326) examined procrastination and stress both before and during a quarantine occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic. Although procrastination increased during the quarantine, this study replicated the Study 1 finding that earlier stress is associated with later procrastination rather than vice versa. The importance of these findings is emphasized by the need for empirically based interventions for academic procrastination in tertiary education., Procrastination is associated with poorer performance in student, teacher, and community samples (e.g., Cao, 2012; Laybourn, Frenzel, & Fenzl, 2019; Nguyen, Steel, & Ferrari, 2013) with economists estimating that procrastination [...]

The self-forgiveness process may be considered emotionally taxing among college students. The current study explored college students' past intrapersonal transgressions (n = 88) through two outcomes (able or unable to forgive oneself). Using NVivo 11 Pro software, thematic analyses revealed the most common situational circumstances and internal emotional determinants that were embedded in these contexts. Findings highlight the need to revise the existing self-forgiveness model to include experiences related to intrapersonal transgressions. Clinical implications include relevant intervention strategies to engage in the self-forgiveness process of an intrapersonal transgression among emerging adults. Directions for theory development are discussed.

Objectives: While there are good reasons to assume that mindfulness protects against burnout in students, nothing is known about the role of caring for bliss. This study examined whether caring for bliss moderated the relationship between mindfulness at baseline and aspects of burnout approximately 12 weeks later. Participants: Students (n = 92) from a university in the United States. Methods: Online surveys were administered in 2018. Results: Moderated regression analyses, controlling for depressive symptoms and burnout at baseline, revealed that caring for bliss moderated the relationship between earlier mindfulness and two aspects of later student burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Specifically, exhaustion and cynicism were low when students reported either low or high scores on both mindfulness and caring for bliss. No moderating effect was found for academic efficacy. Conclusions: Mindfulness and caring for bliss appear to work synergistically to reduce aspects of student burnout over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friends with benefits relationships (FWBRs) occur when two friends who are not in a committed romantic relationship engage in ongoing sexual activity (i.e., oral sex and/or intercourse) over a period of time. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic and psychosocial characteristics of college men involved in FWBRs (N = 407) using s short-term prospective study design. After including several relevant variables (e.g., race/ethnicity, year in school, age, religious service attendance, relationship status, casual sex attitudes, relationship awareness, alcohol use), men were less likely to be involved in a FWBR during the semester if they were in a stable committed romantic relationship and were more likely to do so if they held more positive attitudes towards casual sex, had a more extroverted personality, and had FWBR experience in the 12 months prior to the study. Implications for relationship education for emerging adult college men are discussed.