The relationship between academic resilience and psychological distress among undergraduate students at Rhodes University

Abstract

This study investigated the association between academic resilience and psychological distress among undergraduate students at Rhodes University, South Africa. The purpose was to determine if these two constructs are linked and amid the youth mental health crisis in south African context it is relevant to address. Participants were 46 undergraduate students from a population of 6,336, primarily aged 18-24. Data were collected via an online Google Form survey utilising the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) to assess academic resilience and the Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) to evaluate psychological distress across four domains. A demographic questionnaire was also administered. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and Welch’s one-way ANOVA in Jamovi software. The sample's mean CORE-OM score indicated mild psychological distress, while the mean ARS-30 score indicated a generally high academic resilience. A Pearson correlation between total CORE-OM and ARS-30 scores revealed a weak, negative correlation, which was not statistically significant. Welch's one-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences in academic resilience, and the non-parametric alternative used were Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. While for psychological distress across academic years of study: descriptive statistics showed that first-year students reported the highest mean distress, although this difference was not statistically significant. The findings did not fully support a statistically significant negative relationship between overall academic resilience and psychological distress in this sample. Academic resilience and psychological distress levels did not significantly vary across academic years. The study highlights the need for holistic mental health support tailored to students' diverse needs across all academic levels. Limitations include the small sample size, low response rate, reliance on self-report measures, and the potential need for culturally adapted instruments in the South African context. Future research should aim for larger, more representative samples and consider longitudinal designs and culturally specific measures.