Wakefield, Amanda B. (2005) Factors Affecting Rural Adolescent Transition into Urban Areas in a Southwest Queensland Sample. Doctorate (other than PhD) thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
A transition to secondary school during the developmental stage of adolescence is a dual adjustment process encountered by most adolescents. Many rural adolescents undergo the added transition of moving from their rural communities to urban areas to attend boarding school due to geographical remoteness. These transitions became the focus of mental health promotion as a key priority area based on the Young People At Risk Strategic Planning Forum. The aim of Study 1 was to determine the impact of the transition from primary to secondary school on the overall mental health and overall social support of adolescents using a longitudinal design with measures taken prior to the move (i.e. Time 1) and at the end of the first year in the new secondary school (i.e. Time 2). Time 1 consisted of 153 Grade 7 students with 114 Grade 8 students retained at Time 2. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale 2000 (CASSS; Malecki, Demaray, & Elliott, 2002) were administered. Results revealed an improvement in mental health over time with no significant changes in social support. The aim of Study 2 was to obtain further detail on the transition process for rural adolescents moving into urban boarding schools by talking directly with them through focus groups. Study 2 included students from Grade 11 who had made the transition for their senior years only (i.e. Grade 11 and 12). In order to assess adolescent gender differences, focus groups were carried out within gender groups. This resulted in two focus groups for female students (n=5 for Grade 8 and n=3 for Grade 11) and three focus groups for males (n=12 for Grade 8 and n=2 for Grade 11). Semi-structured focus group questions were asked concerning (1) positive aspects of the move, (2) negative aspects of the move, (3) coping responses, (4) possible improvements to the process, (5) preparedness for the move, (6) school based strategies to assist with the transition, (7) whether the student wanted to make the move, and (8) who was available to help/talk to. Results indicated the use of active behavioural coping strategies as the key to adjusting to the transition process and recommendations were derived on how to improve the process. Future directions for research would benefit from eliciting participation from the students who did not undertake a successful transition and returned home. The findings of the study appear to indicate adolescents as a cohort are adaptable to change.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Doctorate (other than PhD)) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Paul Bramston |
| Qualification: | Doctor of Psychology (Health) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2025 00:10 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Nov 2025 00:10 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52851 |
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