University students in the face of economic crises: academic-labor concordance, job alienation, coping and well-being

Abstract

Economic crises have a negative impact on the economic and personal well-being of individuals. This work has addressed different psychological aspects of students and university graduates by conducting two studies. The first study analyzed the well-being of a sample of young people trained during the economic crisis that emerged in 2008, and its relationship with certain psychological variables, such as coping and well-being, and others from the professional environment, like academic-occupational concordance and job alienation. The results indicated that young people who have a job in line with their studies showed higher expectations and affection, and less job alienation. Job well-being was mainly influenced by life satisfaction and self-esteem. The second study was focused specifically on the contrast in social support, self-esteem, life satisfaction and coping between two samples assessed in two time periods: from 2006 to 2007 (university students trained before the crisis of 2008), and from 2018 to 2019 (students trained during and after the consequences of that crisis). The results showed that the life circumstances of university students trained during and after the 2008 crisis were associated with more social support, lower life satisfaction and adaptive coping – changing the situation – and more maladaptive coping – mainly avoidance and devaluation - than those who had not experienced that situation. This study captures a reality that has been insufficiently addressed in previous studies, opening a path for future research on this topic.