The College Adjustment Test (CAT)

Abstract

The College Adjustment Test (CAT) is a 19-item self-report measure designed to assess the psychological and emotional adjustment of university freshmen during their transition to college life. The scale is rooted in theoretical frameworks concerning major life events, personality dynamics, and the acceleration of coping processes.

The CAT specifically measures the degree to which students have experienced various thoughts and feelings about attending college during the previous week, thereby providing a snapshot of their immediate adjustment status. It is used to evaluate the implications of personality, stage, and inhibition-confrontation models on successful coping acceleration following a significant life change.

Keywords

College Adjustment Test, CAT, Freshmen, University Transition, Coping, Homesickness, Affect, Psychological Adjustment, Pennebaker, Psychometrics

Authors

Pennebaker, J.W.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the College Adjustment Test (CAT) is to serve as a measure of coping effectiveness specifically related to the adjustment of entering college students (freshmen). It seeks to quantify the emotional and cognitive responses associated with the transition to a major new environment, helping researchers understand how individuals manage these significant life events.

The scale was developed to test theoretical models regarding whether individuals can proactively alter their approaches to life events, thereby minimizing deleterious psychological and emotional effects. The 19 items are structured to tap into core areas of concern and satisfaction experienced by students during their first weeks of college.

Construct

The College Adjustment Test (CAT) measures the multi-dimensional construct of College Adjustment, viewed through the lens of psychological coping. This construct is operationalized by assessing the frequency and intensity of specific thoughts and feelings over the prior week, which are grouped into distinct subscales:

• Homesickness: Measuring the degree of missing friends, family, and the previous home environment.
• Negative Affect/Worry: Capturing anxiety, depression, anger, loneliness, and worries related to academics, social performance, and appearance.
• Positive Affect/Satisfaction: Assessing enjoyment of classes, social life, roommates, and general feelings of optimism and self-worth.
• Overall Adjustment: A composite score reflecting the balance between positive and negative experiences during the transition.

The scale integrates concepts derived from the personality, stage, and inhibition-confrontation models, positing that effective coping involves the acceleration of processing and adapting to the new environment.

Validity

While the original source material does not explicitly detail external validation studies (such as convergent or discriminant validity), the scale’s construct validity is supported by its derivation from established theoretical frameworks regarding stress, major life events, and coping mechanisms, specifically those developed by Pennebaker and colleagues.

The items directly reflect known stressors and emotional responses associated with the transition period for freshmen, suggesting strong face validity and content validity for the target population and construct.

Reliability

The psychometric properties of the College Adjustment Test (CAT) indicate acceptable to good reliability across different samples of entering college students.

• Internal Consistency: Based on two samples (N=287 and N=260) of entering college students, the internal consistency of the overall scale was deemed acceptable. The calculated Cronbach alpha was .79.
• Test-Retest Reliability: A two-month retest was conducted with a sample of 196 introductory college students. The resulting correlation coefficient (r) was .65, indicating good stability of the measure over a moderate time interval, which is appropriate for a scale measuring a transitional state.

Factor Analysis

Although an explicit factor structure derived from statistical analysis (e.g., Exploratory or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) is not detailed in the source content, the scoring key implies a multi-dimensional, theoretically driven factor structure. The scale items aggregate into specific subscales, suggesting underlying factors or components:

• Positive Affect (6 items)
• Negative Affect (9 items)
• Homesickness (7 items, including reverse-scored item q11 and shared items with Negative Affect)
• Overall Adjustment (19 items, computed as a composite score)

This structure indicates that the CAT is not intended to be a purely monolithic measure, but rather a diagnostic tool capable of isolating specific areas of adjustment difficulty or success.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report scale / Psychometric survey

Format: 19 items measured on a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: University Students

Age Group: Typically 18-19 years (Entering College Students)

Population Details: Primarily freshmen or introductory college students undergoing the transition phase.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the degree to which they experienced various thoughts and feelings over the LAST WEEK, using a scale where 1 signifies “not at all” and 7 signifies “a great deal.”

Keywords

College Adjustment Test, CAT, Freshman Adjustment, Coping Models, Pennebaker, Internal Consistency, Test-retest reliability, Psychological Transition, Higher Education

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1990 (Based on seminal reference).

Permissions and Fee: Information regarding current usage permissions and associated fees is not provided in the source material. Researchers should contact the primary author, J.W. Pennebaker, or his affiliated institution for licensing details.

Reference’s

• Pennebaker, J.W., Colder, M., & Sharp, L.K. (1990). Accelerating the coping process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 528-537.

Items of the The College Adjustment Test (CAT)

The College Adjustment Test (CAT) utilizes a 7-point scale (1 = not at all, 7 = a great deal) to answer the following questions. The instructions ask respondents to reflect on the LAST WEEK.

1. Missed your friends from high school
2. Missed your home
3. Missed your parents and other family members
4. Worried about how you will perform academically at college
5. Worried about love or intimate relationships with others
6. Worried about the way you look
7. Worried about the impression you make on others
8. Worried about being in college in general
9. Liked your classes
10. Liked your roommate(s)
11. Liked being away from your parents
12. Liked your social life
13. Liked college in general
14. Felt angry
15. Felt lonely
16. Felt anxious or nervous
17. Felt depressed
18. Felt optimistic about your future at college
19. Felt good about yourself

Scoring Key

• Positive affect = q9 + q10 + q12 + q13 + q18 + q19
• Negative affect = q4 + q5 + q6 + q7 + q8 + q14 + q15 + q16 + q17
• Home sickness = q1 + q2 + q3 + q15 + q16 + (8 – q11)
• Overall adjustment = (64 – (q1 + q2 + q3 + q4 + q5 + q6 + q7 + q8)) + q9 + q10 + q11 + q12 + q13 + (32 – (q14 + q15 + q16 + q17)) + q18 + q19