The present study investigated how spirituality, peer connections, and social integration relate to academic resiliency, academic self-efficacy, academic integration, and institutional commitment of college students who identify as female. A sample of 372 undergraduates (ages 18-26) at a Catholic University completed Mapworks survey containing institution-specific questions and spirituality items in Spring 2018. Pearson correlation was used to examine the bivariate relationships between the variables. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted to determine if relationships exist among the predictor variables (spirituality, peer connections, social integration) and the criterion variables (academic resiliency, academic self-efficacy, academic integration, institutional commitment). Academic resiliency was the only contributor to the synthetic criterion variable. The contributions of academic self-efficacy, academic integration and institutional commitment to the synthetic criterion variable were very negligible. Social integration and peer connections were the primary contributors to the predictor synthetic variable, with a secondary contribution by spirituality. Social integration, peer connections, and spirituality were all positively related to academic resiliency. Simultaneously addressing the social and spiritual well-being of college students, particularly those who have self-selected to attend a women’s college, are crucial to promoting their academic success.

The many values that humans place on biodiversity are widely acknowledged but difficult to measure in practice. We address this problem by quantifying the contribution of marine‐related environmental stewardship, in the form of donations and volunteer hours, to the economy of coastal Massachusetts. Our conservative evaluation suggests that marine stewardship activities contributed at least $179 million to the state economy in 2014, a figure that exceeded revenues derived in that same year from commercial finfish operations ($105 million) and whale watching ($111 million), two acknowledged cornerstones of the regional economy. Almost imperceptibly, the coastal economy has been transformed from one dependent on commercial exchange to a diverse economy that includes, to a large measure, marine stewardship. Donations and volunteer efforts are useful indicators of environmental values that can be hard to quantify, and represent one measure of human determination to protect the planet.

Objective: To identify knowledge and beliefs about the human papillomavirus (HPV) among students in a residential academic institution, including perceptions of safety of the HPV vaccine, perceptions of cancer correlation with HPV, and independence/interdependence in health decision-making. Design: A qualitative study was used. Setting: Participants were recruited from a small private US university. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results: Study findings highlight the need for improved communication about sex and general preventive health care between young adults, their parents and health providers, including the campus health services centre. Findings point to the importance of appropriate health care messaging at the time of the HPV vaccine (if given in adolescence) throughout college. While mothers played a crucial part in helping young adults make sense of health and health care decisions, self-reliance and self-protection were strong drivers of decision-making. Conclusion: As college students progress from dependent child to independent adult, they shift from reliance on others, especially mothers, for health guidance to an emerging self-reliance and self-protective stance. Central to this experience is navigating health decisions by using information from one’s childhood and integrating new knowledge as one emerges into adulthood. College health care providers and related disciplinary faculty have the opportunity to support students during this transition.

No abstract

Spirituality impacts college student outcomes in the United States such as mental health, physical health, academic success, and healthy behaviors. Numerous studies consistently show gender differences on spirituality measures. The wealth of empirical evidence demonstrating gender differences in spirituality warranted the development of a tool for measuring college women's spirituality. The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the SIRSW, including its content validity, factorial structure, and internal consistency using a college women sample. A sample of 667 undergraduates (ages 18-26) at an all-women’s Catholic University in the upper Midwest completed the spirituality survey in Spring 2018. Demographic characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Demographic differences in spirituality score were assessed using t-test and one-way ANOVA. Psychometric characteristics of the SIRSW were assessed by evaluating variability, internal consistency reliability, and overall scale structure. There were no significant demographic differences in total spirituality score. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach alpha = 0.97). Item-scale coefficients were above the minimum criteria. Factor analysis revealed that the 16-items measuring spirituality fell under the one-factor component and accounted for 82% of the variance. The SIRSW was found to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing the spiritual well-being of college women. Understanding college women’s spirituality can inform the development of a spiritually oriented intervention that is consistent with their values enhancing their psychological, mental, and physical well-being.