The three-year trajectory of students’ school adaptation in secondary school and its longitudinal associations with trust, prospects, and positivity towards stress

Abstract

ABSTRACT This three-year longitudinal study attempted to clarify the overall trajectory of secondary school students’ school adaptation, its individual patterns, and longitudinal relations with three internal protective factors: interpersonal trust, prospects, and positivity towards stress. An anonymous survey on school adaptation, recent stressor severity, and the three internal factors was conducted every semester for three years. Data from 147 students (78 boys, 68 girls, and 1 unknown) were analysed. The results showed a tendency for school adaptation to decline around the second year, which was the same as in previous research; however, there were eight patterns, including stable or increased trajectories. Moreover, a positive longitudinal relationship was confirmed between school adaptation and interpersonal trust. The results highlighted the importance of timely preventive interventions creating a trustful environment. Also, based on the development of interpersonal trust, a possible mechanism of the decline in school adaptation and reinterpretation of the phenomenon was suggested.