Relationship between occupational performance measures and adjustment in a sample of university students

The number of students having difficulty at university in the United States has steadily increased over the last decade, with an alarming number dropping out without a university degree. Students may have difficulty performing occupations in a new context, or they may have difficulty adjusting to changes in occupational patterns. To explore relationships between occupational performance and adjustment in university, researchers conducted an exploratory, cross-sectional study using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. Total occupational performance and satisfaction with occupational performance were correlated with adjustment total scores and subscale scores. Regression models looked at the impact of occupational performance on total adjustment scores while controlling for demographic and other factors. The sample (N = 144) included students from a large, public, Midwestern urban university in the US. Performance satisfaction was significantly correlated with personal/emotional adjustment (r = 0.212; p < 0.05), academic adjustment (r = 0.190; p < 0.05), and overall adjustment (r = 0.212; p < 0.05). When controlling for demographic factors, living arrangement, and work status, performance satisfaction demonstrated statistical significance in predicting adjustment in university (F(8,134) = 2.018, p = 0.049, adj. R 2 =.054). These results add to the occupational science literature as they suggest that satisfaction with performance in daily occupations may be related to adjustment in university. Future research should explore the impact of performance concerns on university success and if satisfaction with occupational performance mediates mental health and success in university students.