Growth Curve Modeling Analyses Research Articles

집단상담에서 집단원의 자기대상욕구가 집단상담 성과에 미치는 영향 작업동맹의 종단적 매개효과

Objectives The purpose of this study is to determine how group members' perceived working alliance changes over the course of group counseling and to examine the impact of these changes on the relationship between group members' selfobject needs and group counseling performance. Methods For this purpose, a survey was conducted on group members participating group counseling. Data collected from 179 group members were analyzed. Selfobject needs were completed in advance, working alliance was completed after the first, third, and fifth sessions, and group counseling performance was completed after the closing session. Latent growth curve modeling(LGCM) analysis was applied to analyze changes in working alliance. Bootstrapping was conducted to verify the longitudinal mediating effect of working alliance on the relationship between selfobject needs and group counseling performance. Results The main results are as follows. First, group members' selfobject needs avoidance showed a significant negative correlation with working alliance and group counseling performance, but selfobject needs hunger did not show any significant correlation. Second, working alliance increased linearly and its initial value and rate of change were significant. Third, the initial value of working alliance mediated the relationship between selfobject needs avoidance and group counseling performance. Fourth, the rate of change of working alliance had a significant positive effect on group counseling performance, but did not mediate the relationship between selfobject avoidance and group counseling performance. Conclusions These results demonstrate the importance of the effect of longitudinal changes in group members' perceived group counseling work alliance on the relationship between group members' selfobject needs and group counseling performance. Based on the results, implications and limitations of the study were discussed.

Autonomy-Supportive Classroom Climate and Attitudes Towards Social Participation: A Practice in Mixed-Grade Classes in a Japanese Elementary School

This study focuses on the relationship between an autonomy-supportive classroom climate and changes in attitudes towards social participation in mixed-grade classes. The research field involved the learning activities conducted in a Japanese elementary school. Learning activities were carried out in mixed-grade classes, and the children engaged in problem solving with their peers from different grades in collaboration with the local community. It was hypothesized that a perceived autonomy-supportive classroom climate would affect attitudes towards social participation and that this effect would be mediated by intrinsic motivation and reflection. Participants were 163 third- and fourth-grade children from mixed-grade classes. Data were collected repeatedly over a three-year period through a questionnaire survey. Latent growth curve modeling analyses revealed that an autonomy-supportive classroom climate was related to intrinsic motivation, which in turn, was related to reflection. Additionally, intrinsic motivation and reflection predicted the initial level of attitudes towards social participation. Intrinsic motivation was negatively related to the extent of change in attitudes towards social participation. These results suggest that an autonomy-supportive classroom climate promotes children’s positive attitudes towards social participation. In mixed-grade classes, teachers must create classrooms in which children can support each other’s autonomy.

Trajectories and Influencing Factors of Post-Traumatic Stress in Disaster-Affected People According to Their Income Level: A Longitudinal Study in South Korea.

Disasters often have long-lasting effects on the mental health of people affected by them. This study aimed to examine the trajectories and predictors of mental health in people affected by disasters according to their income level. This study used data from the "Long-Term Survey on the Change of Life of Disaster Victim" conducted by the National Disaster Management Research Institute. Latent growth curve modeling and multigroup analysis were employed on 699 participants. Individuals in the low-income class had a higher post-traumatic stress (PTS) intercept than those in the middle-high-income class. The PTS intercept was increased by unmet health care needs and financial hardship caused by disasters and was decreased by health care support. Social support, which was low in the low-income class, did not affect their PTS level; however, it lowered the PTS intercept in the middle-high-income class. These results suggest that it is important to address the mental health of disaster survivors by providing sufficient disaster relief services and compensation to ensure that disasters do not further exacerbate social inequalities. It is also crucial to provide emotional, informational, and material support using local community resources for those who have less or no access to in-person social networks.

Metacognitive processes, situational factors, and clinical decision-making in nursing education: a quantitative longitudinal study.

This study examined the longitudinal development of metacognitive skills and clinical decision-making abilities in nursing students, focusing on the interactions between metacognitive processes, situational factors, and individual differences. A longitudinal, quantitative design was employed, following 185 third-year nursing students from a major university in China over one academic year. Data were collected at six time points using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, Nursing Decision-Making Instrument, and custom-designed clinical scenario assessments. Latent Growth Curve Modeling, Multilevel Modeling, and Moderation Analysis were used to analyze the data. Significant positive growth trajectories were observed for both metacognitive awareness (mean slope = 0.07, p < .001) and decision-making skills (mean slope = 0.08, p < .001). Metacognitive regulation emerged as the strongest predictor of decision-making outcomes (β = 0.188, p < .001 for quality; β = 0.168, p < .001 for efficiency). Task complexity negatively impacted decision-making quality (β = -0.129, p < .001), while time pressure more strongly affected efficiency (β = -0.121, p < .001). Cognitive style and emotional intelligence moderated the relationship between metacognitive processes and decision-making outcomes. The effectiveness of metacognitive strategies in mitigating the negative effects of situational factors varied across individuals and over time. This study provides robust evidence for the complex interplay between metacognitive processes, situational factors, and individual differences in the development of clinical decision-making skills among nursing students. The findings highlight the importance of tailoring educational interventions to enhance specific metacognitive skills, particularly regulation, while considering the impact of situational factors and individual cognitive styles. These insights can inform the design of more effective, personalized approaches to nursing education, potentially enhancing the preparation of nursing students for the complexities of clinical practice.

Practice-based evidence for spiritually integrated psychotherapies: Examining trajectories of psychological and spiritual distress.

The aims of this practice-based evidence study were to (a) examine clients' trajectories of psychological and spiritual distress over the course of spiritually integrated psychotherapies (SIPs) and (b) explore the role of varying types of spiritual interventions in these outcomes. In total, 164 practitioners of SIPs from 37 settings in a practice-research network administered the Clinically Adaptive Multidimensional Outcome Survey (Sanders et al., 2018) at each session with 1,227 clients and reported their use of theoretical orientations and spiritual interventions on an after-session summary checklist. Focusing on sessions over an initial 12-week period, latent growth curve modeling analyses revealed that clients, on average, experienced significant reduction of psychological distress during their engagement in SIPs with improvements occurring most sharply in the first month. Further, other findings revealed a salient reciprocal interplay with spiritual distress throughout treatment, such that clients who were struggling with their religious faith and/or spirituality were more psychologically distressed and displayed a more attenuated and gradual pattern of symptom reduction. In such cases, clinicians frequently utilized spiritual interventions involving basic skills (e.g., spiritual assessment), virtues (e.g., discuss self-control), and religious attachment (e.g., encourage acceptance of divine love) that were uniquely associated with clients' rate and duration of decline in psychological and spiritual distress. The present findings affirm the routine effectiveness of SIPs along with highlighting the potential value of certain spiritual interventions in supporting holistic recovery among clients who want clinicians to be culturally responsive to their spiritual and/or religious identities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Intergenerational transmission and the reinforcement of the political engagement gap: Identifying how university‐educated parents enable their children to become more politically interested during early adolescence

AbstractResearch consistently shows that parents' educational attainment is associated with their children's level of political interest. The life stage when this relationship is established and grows has been identified to be between the ages of 10 and 16. This paper identifies the social class‐based practices that drive the influence of parental education on the development of political interest among early adolescents and explains why the social gap grows at this point. The paper draws on two panel surveys, the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study and the Understanding Society Youth Survey, and applies latent growth curve modelling and path analysis. The findings show that university‐educated parents influence the change in political interest of their children in early adolescence by raising their educational aspirations, enabling their access to political activities in school, choosing the school for their children, taking their children to museums and art galleries and influencing their children's friendship groups.

A Longitudinal Study of the Development of Executive Function and Calibration Accuracy.

This longitudinal study examined the development of executive function and calibration accuracy in preadolescents. This study's sample consisted of 262 students (127 females) from grades 4 (n = 91), 5 (n = 89), and 6 (n = 82) who took measures of executive function and performance calibration in a sport task three times over 20 months. A latent growth-curve modeling analysis showed a significant relationship between the rates of change of executive function and calibration accuracy. The results also showed a dynamic interplay in the development of executive function and calibration accuracy. There were significant interindividual differences in the estimated population means both in executive function and calibration accuracy and in the rate of change of executive function, but not in the rate of change of calibration accuracy. The age of the participants had a positive effect only on the estimated population mean of executive function.

Flourish, fight or flight: health in self-employment over time—associations with individual and business resources

PurposeUsing COR theory to study developments of health and other key resources in self-employed workers in Sweden over 6 years, this study: (1) explored whether the heterogenous group of self-employed workers contained subgroups with different health trajectories, (2) investigated whether these were more typical for certain individuals (with respect to age, gender, sector, education, employment status), and (3) compared the different health trajectories regarding resource development in mental well-being, business resources, employment status, work ability.MethodThe study used data from the Swedish longitudinal occupational survey of health (SLOSH) and included participants working as self-employed or combiner (N = 2642).ResultFive trajectories were identified with latent class growth curve model analysis (LCGM). Two health trajectories with (1) very good, respective (2) good stable health (together comprising 78.5% of the participants), (3) one with moderate stable health (14.8%), (4) one with a U-shaped form (1.9%), and (5) one with low, slightly increasing health (4.7%). The first two trajectories flourish: they maintained or increased in all key resources and were more likely to remain self-employed. Trajectories three and five consist of those who fight to maintain or increase their resources. Workers in the U-shaped health trajectory show signs of fight and flight after loss in health and other key resources.ConclusionsStudying subgroups with different resource developments over time was suitable to understand heterogeneity in self-employed workers. It also helped to identify vulnerable groups that may benefit from interventions to preserve their resources.

Repeated mistakes in app-based language learning: Persistence and relation to learning gains

Over the past decade, there has been an enormous upsurge in the use of educational apps in primary schools. However, few studies have examined how children interact with these apps and how their interaction patterns relate to learning outcomes. An interaction pattern that is potentially detrimental to learning is repeated mistakes, defined as making the same mistake more than once when answering a task. With interaction data from an eight-week digital vocabulary intervention, we examined 1) whether the propensity to make repeated mistakes changes across app sessions, and 2) how repeated mistakes relate to children's prior knowledge and their learning gains from the intervention. Our sample consisted of 363 Norwegian second graders who worked with the vocabulary app in a randomized controlled trial. Using growth curve modeling and confirmatory factor analyses, we found that the propensity to repeat mistakes remained stable over time. Furthermore, a structural equation model showed that repeated mistakes related negatively to both pre-test and post-test scores. A substantial proportion of the total effect of prior knowledge on learning gains was mediated by the propensity to repeat mistakes. Children who made more repeated mistakes had lower expected learning gains across all levels of prior knowledge. We suggest that the propensity to repeat mistakes may pose a double threat to learning by diminishing exposure to relevant content, and amplifying the exposure to incorrect input. Considering the stability of mistake repetition, it is crucial to identify students with a high propensity to repeat mistakes and help them break the pattern to support learning. App developers can help this process by implementing automatic detection and feedback.

Central systolic blood pressure as a risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness

Abstract In the arterial tree, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) exhibits a pressure gradient from central to peripheral and is higher in the periphery because of pressure wave reflection. However, this gradient is attenuated with the elevation of central SBP (cSBP) in case with abnormal pressure wave reflection in arterial tree. It remains unclear whether increase of the cSBP might be an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness. Using the latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis, this prospective observational study was conducted to examine whether elevation of the cSBP might be an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness in middle-aged Japanese men.In this 9-year prospective observational study, 3862 middle-aged Japanese men (42 ± 9 years old) without cerebrocardiovascular disease at the study baseline underwent annual measurements of the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and cSBP, estimated by radial pressure wave analysis as the second peak of radial pressure wave form (SBP2). During the follow-up period (6.4 ± 2.5), significant increases of baPWV and SBP2 were observed in all subjects. Analysis using the LGCM confirmed that the SBP2, a maker of cSBP (B=0.260, P &amp;lt; 0.001) was significant determinants of the slope of annual changes of baPWV during the study period. Our finding suggests that elevated cSBP is an independent risk for the accelerated progression of arterial stiffness in middle-aged Japanese men.

27 Risky Decision-Making Moderates the Association Between Motives for Cannabis Use and Cannabis Use Trajectories Among Adolescents

Objective:Prior literature has documented how motives for cannabis use predict frequency of use and cannabis use problems among adolescents. However, few studies have examined possible moderating variables that may influence the association between cannabis use motives and frequency of use. The current study examines how risky decision-making moderates this association to help better understand which individuals are at greater risk for cannabis use escalation. The current study will be the first to examine the interactive effects of motives for cannabis use (i.e., health or recreational reasons) and risky decision-making on cannabis use trajectories among a sample of adolescent cannabis users.Participants and Methods:Data from 194 adolescent cannabis users aged 14–17 at baseline were analyzed as part of a larger longitudinal study. Participants included those who self-reported use of cannabis within six months prior to the baseline assessment. The Marijuana Reasons for Use Questionnaire (MJRUQ) was used to assess motives for cannabis use from a list of 13 items. A confirmatory factor analysis identified “health” and “recreational” factors for motives for cannabis use. Lifetime frequency of cannabis use (number of days used) was assessed through the Drug Use History Questionnaire, while risky decision-making was assessed using the Game of Dice Task. We used latent growth curve modeling and linear regression analyses to examine the interactive effects of motives for cannabis use and risky decision-making on initial levels of lifetime cannabis use at baseline, and rate of cannabis use escalation over time.Results:No significant interactive effects were found for health motives for cannabis use; however, we found significant main effects of health motives on initial levels of lifetime cannabis use at baseline (b = 100.82, p &lt; .01) and rate of cannabis use escalation (b = 24.79, p &lt; .01). Those with a greater proclivity to use cannabis for health purposes showed higher initial levels of lifetime use at baseline and steeper increases in the rate of cannabis use escalation relative to those less likely to use for health purposes. Furthermore, we found a significant interactive effect of recreational motives for use and risky decision-making on the rate of cannabis use escalation (b = -2.53, p &lt; .01). Follow-up analyses revealed that among those less likely to use cannabis for recreational purposes, higher risky decision-making was associated with a steeper increase in the rate of cannabis use escalation relative to those who exhibited lower risky decision-making.Conclusions:The current study replicated findings suggesting that cannabis use motives influence cannabis use trajectories. We found that using cannabis primarily for health reasons was associated with higher initial levels and steeper increases in use regardless of decision-making. Furthermore, we found that both motives for use and risky decision-making interacted to influence associations with cannabis use trajectories. Specifically, among individuals reporting less cannabis use for recreational reasons, those with relatively riskier decision-making showed steeper increases in the rate of cannabis use escalation. These findings inform prevention and intervention practices that focus on decision-making by tailoring approaches based on an individual’s primary motives for cannabis use.

Motives for Cannabis Use and Risky Decision Making Influence Cannabis Use Trajectories in Teens.

The current study will examine the interactive effects of motives for cannabis use (i.e., health or recreational) and risky decision making (DM) on cannabis use trajectories among adolescents. Data from 171 adolescents, aged 14-17 at the initial visit (baseline), were prospectively analyzed across five time points approximately six months apart. Latent growth curve modeling and linear regression analyses were used. We found a significant interactive effect of "recreational motives" and risky DM on the rate of cannabis use over time. Specifically, among those less likely to use cannabis for recreational purposes, riskier DM was associated with a faster increase in the rate of use over time relative to those with lower risky DM. Additionally, a significant main effect showed that those with a greater proclivity to use cannabis for health purposes had higher initial levels of use at baseline and faster increases in the rate of use over time. Regardless of risky DM, using cannabis for health purposes is associated with faster increases in cannabis use escalation. Additionally, risky DM does impact the association between recreational motives for use and cannabis use trajectories. Future work should examine these associations with additional motives for cannabis use that have been previously validated within the literature.

The positive feedback loop between academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and Grade Point Average: a parallel process latent growth curve model

This study investigates the associations between students’ developmental changes in academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and grade point average (GPA) during a three-year upper secondary education. The sample consisted of 1453 students aged 16–19 (60.6% girls; baseline mean age = 17.00, SD = .91; 56.1% high perceived family wealth; and 74.9% Norwegian-born). To explore how changes in academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and GPA were related, we investigated a theoretical parallel process latent growth curve model. The results implied that, during upper secondary school, academic self-efficacy declined, while academic initiative and GPA remained stable. We found possible ceiling effects within and between several of the study’s constructs. The main finding was support for a positive feedback loop between the developmental trajectories of academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and GPA. The present study adds new insight that should be taken into consideration when promoting positive educational development during late secondary school. Highlights Academic self-efficacy declines during upper secondary school, while academic initiative and grade point average remains stable. Parallel process latent growth curve model analysis. Possible ceiling effects within and between several of the study's factors. Positive associations between the trajectories of academic self-efficacy, academic initiative, and grade point average.

Effects of Induced Mindfulness at Night on Repetitive Negative Thinking: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a cognitive risk factor for various disorders. Although brief mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs; lasting 20-30 minutes or shorter) are effective tools to reduce RNT, the effect of a minimal (5-minute) MBI remains largely unknown. We investigated the acute changes in RNT induced by a 10-day minimal MBI (body scan before sleeping) using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) administered during the MBI training phase. In addition, we examined longer-term effects on the postintervention and 2-month follow-up assessments for questionnaire-based RNT and psychological distress. A total of 68 participants (community sample, aged 18-55 years; n=58, 85% women) were randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n=35, 51%) or the no-training control group (n=33, 49%). Both groups completed a 10-day EMA phase of RNT, during which only the intervention group performed a daily 5-minute body scan before sleeping. The intervention group showed a significantly larger reduction in questionnaire-based RNT than the control group at the follow-up assessment (for growth-curve modeling analysis [GMA], dGMA=-0.91; P<.001), but this effect was not observed during the EMA phase or at the postintervention assessment. Furthermore, the intervention group showed significantly larger decreases in stress both at the postintervention (dGMA=-0.78; P<.001) and follow-up (dGMA=-0.60; P<.001) assessments than the control group. We found no intervention effects on depressive and anxiety symptoms. A 5-minute body scan before sleeping reduces RNT and stress when continued for at least 10 days; however, the results suggest that this effect only appears with some time lag because no acute changes during and immediately after the intervention emerged for RNT.

Longitudinal influence of self-compassion and fears of compassion on prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sport: A conditional latent growth curve modelling analysis

ABSTRACT The impact of self-compassion on athlete wellbeing is well established. Much less researched is the impact of self-compassion, and its related fears (hereafter “fears of compassion”) on athletes’ prosocial and antisocial behaviours. Indeed, sporting contexts offer opportunities for athletes to demonstrate prosocial and antisocial behaviours towards teammates and competitors, and these behaviours could lead to various performance and wellbeing-related consequences. Given the well-documented benefits of a compassion, and the intention to investigate alternative antecedents or predictors of prosocial and antisocial behaviour in sport, we assessed the longitudinal influences of self-compassion and fears of compassion on athletes’ prosocial and antisocial behaviours. The study used a repeated measures design, where 324 athletes (174 male, 150 female) from 35 different sports (22 individual sports, 13 team sports) completed surveys at baseline and the 4th and 8th month. Conditional latent growth curve modelling revealed higher self-compassion and lower fears of receiving compassion from others at baseline were associated with greater prosocial behaviours, whilst higher fears of self-compassion were associated with higher antisocial behaviour, over eight months. Results also revealed a trend for antisocial behaviour to increase across the study period. Compassion-based interventions may be of value to athletes to improve prosocial behaviours in sport contexts.

Latent Trajectories of Subjective Well-Being: An Application of Latent Growth Curve and Latent Class Growth Modeling

This study proposed a three-stage measurement model utilizing the Latent Growth Curve Modeling and Latent Class Growth Analysis. The measurement model was illustrated using repeated data collected through a four-week prospective study tracking the subjective well-being of volunteer college students (n=154). Firstly, several unconditional growth models were estimated to define the model providing a better representation of individual growth trajectories. Secondly, several conditional growth models were formulated to test the usefulness of covariate variables hypothesized to explain observed variance in growth factors. Finally, latent class models were estimated to explore different latent trajectory classes further. Results showed that students' subjective well-being changed over time, and the rate of this change, as well as its covariates, were not constant for the entire sample. This study clearly illustrates how a longitudinal measurement approach can enhance the scope of findings and the depth of inferences when repeated measurements are available.

Predictive factors associated with trajectory of job satisfaction of workers with physical disabilities: A latent growth curve analysis.

Job satisfaction is a highly useful factor in maintaining a successful work life for the disabled. This study aimed to evaluate how job satisfaction among workers with physical disabilities evolves over time, and to identify predictive factors that influence the trajectory of job satisfaction. A longitudinal data analysis using the three-year databases of the 2016-2018 Employment Panel Survey for the Disabled (n = 693). A latent growth curve model analysis was conducted to determine the trajectory of the job satisfaction among workers with physical disabilities, as well as the predictive factors affecting it. Job satisfaction among workers with physical disabilities increased over time, and there were substantial individual differences in the trajectory of the job satisfaction. The significant predictors for the job satisfaction over the three years were degree of disability, computer usage ability, employment support services, and experience of discrimination. Gender, educational background, interpersonal relationship/organizational adaptability, convenience facilities for the disabled, job suitability, disability acceptability, and self-esteem had a considerable impact on the intercept of the job satisfaction, but not on the slope. The findings would inform healthcare providers to establish mid-to-long-term vocational rehabilitation intervention plans that could increase the job satisfaction among workers with physical disabilities.

Co-occurring Stress Trajectories and the Longitudinal Coupling of Internalizing Symptoms in Parent-Adolescent Dyads.

Stress is one candidate mechanism posited to contribute to the intergenerational risk of psychopathology. However, the ways in which parent and child stress are related across adolescence, and the role that co-occurring parent and child stress may exert regarding bidirectional risk for internalizing symptoms, are not well understood. Using repeated measures data spanning 3-years, this study investigated (1) the extent to which trajectories of parent and child stress are related during adolescence, and (2) whether co-occurring parent and child stress trajectories mediate prospective, bidirectional associations between parent depression symptoms and child internalizing symptoms (depression, physical and social anxiety). Participants included 618 parent-adolescent dyads (age 8-16; 57% girls; 89% mothers). Parent depressive symptoms and child symptoms of depression, social anxiety, and physical anxiety were assessed via self-report questionnaire at baseline and 36 months later. Parent and child stress were assessed via self-report questionnaire every three months between 3- and 33-months (11 total assessments). Latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis found that parent and child stress trajectories were positively related across development. Prospective LGCM mediation analysis showed that higher youth stress at 3-months partially mediated prospective relations between parental depressive symptoms at baseline and youth depressive, as well as physical and social anxiety symptoms at 36-months. Parent and child stress reinforce each other across adolescence and may lead to increased risk for psychopathology. Increases in child stress represent an important factor conferring transdiagnostic risk for internalizing among children of depressed parents.

Marital satisfaction in covenant versus standard marriages: Is there a difference?

After the rapid increase of the American divorce rate in the late 20th century, one of the most conspicuous efforts of the marriage movement in the 1990s that was used to increase marital stability was the legislation of the covenant marriage license, a more restricted marriage license issued in three different states of the U.S. To investigate the marital life of newlywed covenant versus standard couples, a large-scale 5-year couple study was conducted between 1998 and 2003 in Louisiana. The present study uses this large-sample, multiple-wave, multiple-group dyadic dataset to examine differences in co-development and divorce rates in 297 covenant and 380 standard mixed-sex couples using a multiple group growth curve modeling and survival analysis. We examined differences in marital trajectories between covenant and standard couples as well as between husbands and wives in each marital group. The results show (1) that the couples in both groups experienced, on average, declines in marital satisfaction, and such a decline was slower in covenant husbands than their wives as well as those in standard marriages, and (2) that co-development in marital satisfaction was more prominent in standard marriages than in covenant marriages, meaning standard couple's marital satisfaction declined at a more similar rate than that of covenant couples. We provide possible explanations and discuss practical implications.

Trajectories of life satisfaction during one-year period among university students: Relations with measures of achievement strategies and perception of criteria for adulthood

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine how university students’ achievement strategies in an academic context and perceptions of criteria for adulthood relate to life satisfaction trajectories across one year. Methods: A convenience sample of 143 young adults 18-28 years (mean age: 20.9±2.7 years; 109 females and 34 males) attending the University of Turin in northwest Italy completed questionnaires at three points with a six-month interval between each measurement. Latent Growth Curve Modelling and Latent Class Growth Analysis were used to assess longitudinal changes in life satisfaction and the related heterogeneity within the current sample. Results: Three trajectories of life satisfaction emerged: high stable (37%), moderate decreasing (57%), and low stable (6%). At every time point high success expectations were related to a high stable life satisfaction trajectory. In turn, those adopting achievement avoidance strategies were more likely to have low-stable or moderately decreasing life satisfaction trajectories. The perception of the criteria deemed important to be defined as adults did not change across time points or across life satisfaction trajectories’ groups. Conclusion: These findings suggest that self-reported measures of achievement strategies among university students relate longitudinally to life satisfaction levels. Positive and optimistic dimensions of personal striving may be protective factors against the risk of decrease of life satisfaction among university students.