









































The Impacts on Well-being of 
Undergraduate College Students 
Serving in a Resident Assistant 

Role 
Amanda J. Nemecek, Nancy Crowell Ph.D., and Joan B. Riley 

MS, MSN, FNP-BC, FAAN

Volume Two
Edition One
Fall 2021

 
GEORGETOWN SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH JOURNAL

42



Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

The Impacts on Well-being of Undergraduate College Students 
Serving in a Resident Assistant Role  
 
Amanda J. Nemecek, Nancy Crowell, and Joan B. Riley 

 
Department of Human Science, Georgetown University, Washington D.C. 
E-mail: ajn63@georgetown.edu 
https://doi.org/10.48091/gsr.v2i1.31 

Abstract 

Resident Assistants (RAs) are an integral part of the residential experience at colleges and universities, but 
little attention has been paid to how the RA position impacts student workers. This study examines the 
effect of the RA position on the well-being of undergraduate students working in the RA role. Three 
surveys collecting anonymous data on student well-being using the Keyes Flourishing Scale were 
distributed over the course of the fall 2018 academic semester. The SF-12 Health Questionnaire, the 
Sarason Social Support Questionnaire, the Deakin Coping Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale were used 
to collect further data. Analysis was performed on data from 16 student RAs who responded to all three 
surveys. This diminished sample size prevented statistically significant data, but trends in the data are still 
evident. Social support remained positively correlated with well-being over the course of the semester.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
At the end of the semester, mental health was positively correlated with well-being while perceived stress 
was negatively correlated with well-being. Moreover, RAs in upperclassmen dorms and those with greater 
prior RA experience had nonsignificant yet overall higher levels of well-being throughout the semester. 
Though correlations are present between the well-being of student RAs and other factors in their lives, 
more data are needed to prove significance and further determine the relations between these factors. 

Keywords: resident assistant, well-being, college, university 

1. Introduction 
The resident assistant (RA) position is an 

integral part of college residential community life 
and encompasses complex and varied 
responsibilities. Students hired as RAs provide 
peer support for fellow students living in campus 
residence halls and enforce school policies with an 
overall aim of fostering a community where 
residents can flourish personally and academically. 
RAs also act as first responders to student 
challenges, including substance abuse and physical 
and mental health crises.14, 15 This demanding job 
creates tension in students employed as RAs, who 
must act as both an authority figure and a friendly 
peer.8 This tension means that student RAs may 
be hesitant to disrupt “social cohesion” by 
reporting rule breakers.16 The stress inherent in an 

RA position might cause a negative impact on the 
well-being of students in this role. 

Studies about RAs have largely focused on the 
benefits that RAs provide to a college community. 
These studies have identified factors contributing 
to burnout in RAs4, examined the influence of 
personality2 and role conflict3 on RA job 
performance, identified skills transferable to 
careers and life post-graduation,6 and created tools 
with which to measure RA impacts on community 
development.9 In their 2018 paper, McLaughlin 
recognized the lack of research about self-care in 
student RAs10; however, research into RAs 
remains focused on job function and institutional 
benefits. More attention must be paid to students 
in RA positions, as these students generally face 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

more stressful situations than their non-RA 
peers.11 The RA position is a social one, and 
evidence suggests that stronger social support 
systems are tied to better mental health.5 Coping 
strategies of student RAs in stressful situations 
might also influence well-being, as better self-care 
practices lead to lower stress susceptibility.13 
However, factors correlated with higher levels of 
well-being in student RAs have not yet been well 
examined. 

This study aimed to examine whether coping 
skills, perceived stress, and levels of social support 
improve or detract from the well-being of student 
RAs over the course of one 15-week semester. The 
information gained from this study can be used to 
promote well-being in the RA population. It was 
hypothesized that higher levels of social support 
would correlate with lower levels of perceived 
stress, higher well-being scores, and healthier 
coping strategies throughout the semester.  

2. Methods 

2.1 Design 
This IRB approved study (2018-0489) was 

conducted from August 2018 through January 
2019. A three-part survey design was used to assess 
the impacts of serving in an RA role, with surveys 
sent out pre-RA training, post-RA training, and 
post-semester. A senior staff member from the 
Office of Residential Education contributed to the 
design of the survey and approved its use. 

2.2 Participants 
Students older than 18 who were entering RA 

training at the start of the 2018-2019 academic 
year were invited to participate, and both new and 
returning RAs were included. This invitation was 
extended during an in-person information session 
conducted by the Principal Investigator on Day 2 
of RA training, when informed consent was 
obtained through a written consent form. Surveys 
were distributed to participants via email: Survey 1 
was sent out at the end of Day 2 of RA training 
(open for 3 days), Survey 2 was distributed at the 
end of RA training 8 days after the first survey was 

sent (open for 5 days), and Survey 3 was distributed 
at the end of final exams for the Fall 2018 semester 
(open 19 days over the semester break). Sixteen 
individuals (n=16) completed all three surveys; 
only their data were analyzed. 

2.3 Instruments 
Demographic data collected included 

participant age, gender, class year, previous RA 
experience, and residence hall placement (Table 
A1). Participant majors were collected but not 
presented as this could identify participants within 
the small population analyzed; given the small 
sample size, impacts of participant major on any of 
the measures of interest could not be determined. 
Additional data were gathered using the following 
instruments: 

The Keyes Flourishing Scale (KFS) measures 
the general level of well-being in a person.7 This 
scale was used to track how the well-being of an 
RA changed over the course of a semester. Trends 
in well-being were compared against trends in 
other aspects of a student RA’s life, namely social 
support, perceived stress, and coping strategies. 

The Sarason Social Support Questionnaire 
(SSSQ) measures the level of social support 
present in a person’s life.14 This scale was used to 
determine how social support fluctuated over the 
course of a semester. Given that greater social 
support is correlated with better mental health5, 
trends in social support were compared to those in 
well-being. 

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) measures 
how an individual subjectively views stress in their 
life.1 This scale was used to determine the level of 
stress that student RAs subjectively experienced, 
with a focus on whether increased levels of 
perceived stress are correlated with decreased levels 
of well-being. 

The Deakin Coping Scale (DCS) measures 
how an individual copes with problems that arise 
in their life.12 This instrument was used to 
determine how student RAs coped with stressors 
in their lives, and particularly to assess whether 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

better coping strategies are correlated with higher 
levels of well-being in student RAs. 

2.4 Procedure 
Qualtrics served as the platform for survey 

distribution and data collection. The link to each 
Qualtrics survey was distributed to participants via 
email. Each participant initially created a password 
consisting of an animal and a three-digit number; 
participants input this password at the beginning 
of each survey. This was the only item that allowed 
follow-through of participant survey answers over 
the course of the study; thus, data were kept 
anonymous while allowing for trends in an 
individual’s responses to be evaluated over time. 

2.5 Data Analysis 
At the study’s conclusion, data were analyzed 

via SPSS. All data are presented anonymously and 
in aggregate (Table A2). Associations between the 
measures were analyzed using Pearson’s Product 
Moment Correlations. 

3. Results 
 Well-being was positively correlated with 
social support throughout the semester (Table 1). 
Well-being was positively correlated with coping 
skills in the first and second surveys and inversely 
correlated with perceived stress in the third survey 
(Table 1). Individual levels of well-being remained 
stable over the course of the study. 

Although not significant, there was an 
incidental finding of lower levels of well-being in 
student RAs placed in first year residence halls 
compared to the well-being of RAs in other 
residence halls. Results also showed that student 
RAs with two or more years of prior RA 
experience had nonsignificant but overall higher 
levels of well-being compared to student RAs with 
less prior RA experience. 

 
 

Table 1. Pearson’s Correlations between Student 
RA Well-Being and Social Support, Perceived 
Stress, and Coping Skills Across a Semester. 

 
KFS 
Time 1 

KFS 
Time 2 

KFS 
Time 3 

SSSQ .682** .565* .527* 

PSS -.479 -.492 -.519* 

DCS .571* .633** .266 

*p < .05. **p < .01. 

4. Limitations 
This study was limited by its small sample size, 

as only 16 student RAs responded to all three 
surveys. Additionally, all participants were enrolled 
at the same university, leading to potential 
uniformity among subjects. Response bias may be 
present as participants who responded to all three 
surveys might have higher baseline levels of well-
being. Follow-through would likely be increased 
with outside incentive to participate, which was 
not provided in this study.   

5. Discussion 
 Causality cannot be determined through this 
study. However, it can be concluded that there is a 
correlation between higher levels of social support 
and higher levels of well-being in student RA 
populations throughout a semester. This 
correlation may exist because stronger social 
support systems are linked to better mental health5, 
or there could be a third influencing factor not yet 
discovered. Better coping strategies were 
correlated with higher well-being during and just 
after RA training, but not at the end of the 
semester. Higher levels of perceived stress were 
inversely correlated with higher levels of well-
being only at the end of the semester. A larger 
study with more diverse participants is needed to 
validate these findings and ensure significance. 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

 This study suggests a relationship between 
years of prior RA experience and well-being 
(Figure A2 and Table A4). It also suggests a 
relationship between residence hall placement and 
well-being (Figure A1 and Table A3); this is 
consistent with Hardy et al.’s finding that student 
RAs in first year residence halls face higher levels 
of burnout.4 Further research should examine the 
factors influencing well-being for returning versus 
new RAs, as this information can be used as a 
recruitment tool to improve RA retention rates. 

6. Conclusions 
As student RAs are often at the frontlines of 

student support, universities must take measures to 
ensure the students in these RA roles are able to 
flourish. This is necessary not only to preserve the 
functionality of the RA role, but also to preserve 
the well-being of students in these roles. The 
findings of this study indicate that RA programs 
should foster strong social support networks for 
their student RA communities to improve overall 
well-being. This study also suggests that 
universities should teach healthy coping strategies 
to their student RAs at the beginning of the 
semester and help student RAs recognize and 
reduce perceived stress at the end of the semester. 
Student RAs work an incredible amount to 
promote the well-being of students living in 
university residence halls while serving university 
interests. It is thus imperative that, in turn, 
universities care for the well-being of their RAs. 

Acknowledgements 

The authors would like to thank the 
Georgetown University Office of Residential 
Living for their support of this study alongside 
their input regarding survey questions. The 
authors would also like to thank all the student 
resident assistants who participated in this study.  

References 
1. Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. 

(1994). Perceived stress scale. Measuring stress: A 
guide for health and social scientists. Retrieved from 

http://www.mindgarden.com/documents/Perceive
dStressScale.pdf  

2. Deluga, R. J., & Masson, S. (2000). Relationship 
of resident assistant conscientiousness, 
extraversion, and positive affect with rated 
performance. Journal of Research in Personality, 
34(2), 225-235. 

3. Everett, D. D., & Loftus, Z. V. (2011). Resident 
Assistants as Rule Enforcers Versus Friends: An 
Exploratory Study of Role Conflict. Journal of 
College & University Student Housing, 37(2). 

4. Hardy, S. E., & Dodd, D. K. (1998). Burnout 
among University Resident Assistants as a 
Function of Gender and Floor Assignment. Journal 
of College Student Development, 39(5), 499-501. 

5. Hefner, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2009). Social support 
and mental health among college  
students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 79(4), 
491. 

6. Huffman, L. C., & Lefdahl-Davis, E. M. (2019). 
A Pivotal Point in Identity  
Development: The Impact of the Resident 
Assistant Experience. Growth: The Journal of the 
Association for Christians in Student Development, 
18(18), 4. 

7. Keyes, C. L. (2009). Brief description of the 
mental health continuum short form (MHC-SF). 
Retrieved from 
https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/MHC-
SFEnglish.pdf  

8. King, J. J., Borsari, B., & Chen, J. (2010). Resident 
assistant and college students' perceptions of 
alcohol use. Addictive behaviors, 35(6), 640-643. 

9. Manata, B., DeAngelis, B. N., Paik, J. E., & 
Miller, V. D. (2017). Measuring critical aspects of 
the resident assistant role. Journal of College Student 
Development, 58(4), 618-623. 

10. McLaughlin, W. G. (2018). Overloaded and 
overlooked: Improving resident advisors' self-care. 
Journal of American College Health, 66(8), 831-833. 

11. Miller, C. J., & Conyne, R. K. (1980). 
Paraprofessional Problems: A Comparison of 
Residence Hall Paraprofessionals and Regular 
Students. Journal of College and  
University Student Housing, 10(1), 10-12. 

12. Moore, K. A. (2003). The Deakin coping scale: 
strategies for the management of demands. The 
Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 21(2), 13. 

13. Nowack, K. M., Gibbons, J. M., & Hanson, A. L. 
(1985). Factors affecting burnout and job 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
	

 

performance of resident assistants. Journal of College 
Student Personnel, 26(2), 137-142. 

14. Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., & 
Pierce, G. R. (1987). A brief measure of social 
support: Practical and theoretical implications. 
Journal of social and personal relationships, 4(4), 497-
510. 

15. Thombs, D. L., Gonzalez, J. M. R., Osborn, C. J., 
Rossheim, M. E., & Suzuki, S. (2015). Resident 

assistant training program for increasing alcohol, 
other drug, and mental health first-aid efforts. 
Prevention Science, 16(4), 508-517. 

16. Thombs, D. L., Osborn, C. J., Rossheim, M. E., 
& Suzuki, S. (2014). Attitudes associated with 
alcohol and marijuana referral actions by resident 
assistants. The journal of primary prevention, 35(6), 
429-437. 

 
 

 
 

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Appendix 

Table A1. Demographic information for study participants (n=16). Demographic information is 
presented both as a percentage (%) of the total participants and as the number (n) of participants in each 
category. 
 % n 
Age   
     19 43.8 7 
     20 18.8 3 
     21 37.5 6 
Gender   
     Male 43.8 7 
     Female 56.3 9 
Grade   
     Sophomore 50.0 8 
     Junior 6.3 1 
     Senior 43.8 7 
Previous Years as an RA   
     0 50.0 8 
     1 25.0 4 
     2 25.0 4 
Residency Hall Placement   
     Freshman 50.0 8 
     Mixed 31.3 5 
     Primarily Upperclassmen 18.8 3 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Table A2. Well-being in student RAs is correlated with various aspects of the student’s life throughout 
the course of a semester. Correlational data was calculated using Pearson Correlation between well-being 
(KFS), social support (SSSQ), perceived stress (PSS), physical health (HQ-P), mental health (HQ-M), 
and coping skills (DCS) from surveys 1, 2, and 3. Well-being was correlated with social support 
throughout the course of the semester. Well-being was correlated with coping skills in the first survey, but 
later that correlation became insignificant. In the third survey, well-being was inversely correlated with 
perceived stress and positively correlated with mental health.    
*: Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).    
**: Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).   

Survey 1 KFS SSSQ PSS HQ-P HQ-M 

SSSQ Pearson Correlation .682** 
 

 
 

 

Sig. (2-tailed) .004 

PSS Pearson Correlation -.479 -.521* 
Sig. (2-tailed) .061 .039 

HQ-P Pearson Correlation -.129 -.099 .258 
Sig. (2-tailed) .633 .715 .335 

HQ-M Pearson Correlation .292 .392 -.655** -.696** 
Sig. (2-tailed) .272 .133 .006 .003 

DCS Pearson Correlation .571* .391 -.108 .240 -.138 
Sig. (2-tailed) .021 .134 .691 .370 .610 

Survey 2  
 

 
 

 

SSSQ Pearson Correlation .565* 
Sig. (2-tailed) .023 

PSS Pearson Correlation -.492 -.371 

Sig. (2-tailed) .053 .157 

HQ-P Pearson Correlation -.106 .067 .113 
Sig. (2-tailed) .696 .806 .677 

HQ-M Pearson Correlation .473 .285 -.826** -.444 
Sig. (2-tailed) .065 .284 .000 .085 

DCS Pearson Correlation .633** .349 -.312 .144 .201 
Sig. (2-tailed) .008 .185 .239 .596 .455 

Survey 3  
 

 
 

 

SSSQ Pearson Correlation .527* 
Sig. (2-tailed) .036 

PSS Pearson Correlation -.519* -.481 
Sig. (2-tailed) .039 .059 

HQ-P Pearson Correlation .146 .052 .125 
Sig. (2-tailed) .588 .847 .644 

HQ-M Pearson Correlation .618* .382 -.848** -.221 
Sig. (2-tailed) .011 .144 .000 .411 

DCS Pearson Correlation .266 .267 .088 .481 .033 
Sig. (2-tailed) .320 .317 .746 .059 .903 

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Table A3. Multivariate Testsa: Comparison between Well-being and Residency Placement. There 
were no significant correlations between residency placement and well-being over the course of the 
semester (Wilks’ Lambda: 0.583). There were overall higher levels of well-being in student RAs placed 
in primarily upperclassman residency halls compared to mixed or freshman residency halls, with 
student RAs in freshman residency halls consistently having the lowest levels of well-being. See Figure 
A1 for graphical representation of data. 

Effect Value F Hypothesis df Error df Sig. 

Wellbeing Pillai's Trace .103 .692b 2.000 12.000 .519 

Wilks' Lambda .897 .692b 2.000 12.000 .519 

Hotelling's Trace .115 .692b 2.000 12.000 .519 

Roy's Largest Root .115 .692b 2.000 12.000 .519 

Wellbeing * 
D9num 

Pillai's Trace .210 .764 4.000 26.000 .558 

Wilks' Lambda .796 .726b 4.000 24.000 .583 

Hotelling's Trace .249 .685 4.000 22.000 .610 

Roy's Largest Root .213 1.386c 2.000 13.000 .285 

a. Design: Intercept + D9num  
 Within Subjects Design: Wellbeing 
b. Exact statistic 
c. The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance level. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

Table A4. Multivariate Testsa: Comparison between Well-being and Years as an RA. There were no 
significant correlations between number of previous years of student RA experience and well-being 
over the course of the semester (Wilks’ Lambda: 0.491). There were overall higher levels of well-being 
in student RAs who had two or more years prior experience as an RA compared to one-year prior 
experience or no years prior experience. See Figure A2 for graphical representation of data. 

Effect Value F Hypothesis df Error df Sig. 

Wellbeing Pillai's Trace .145 1.016b 2.000 12.000 .391 

 Wilks' Lambda .855 1.016b 2.000 12.000 .391 

 Hotelling's Trace .169 1.016b 2.000 12.000 .391 

 Roy's Largest Root .169 1.016b 2.000 12.000 .391 

Wellbeing * D8 Pillai's Trace .240 .885 4.000 26.000 .487 

 Wilks' Lambda .761 .879b 4.000 24.000 .491 

 Hotelling's Trace .314 .864 4.000 22.000 .501 

 Roy's Largest Root .313 2.031c 2.000 13.000 .171 

a. Design: Intercept + D8 
Within Subjects Design: Wellbeing 
b. Exact statistics 
c. The statistic is an upper bound on F that yields a lower bound on the significance levels. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

 
Figure A1. Well-being over time compared to residency placement of the student RA. There were no 
significant correlations between residency placement and well-being over the course of the semester 
(Wilks’ Lambda: 0.583). There were overall higher levels of well-being in student RAs placed in 
primarily upperclassman residency halls (green line) compared to mixed (red line) or freshman (blue line) 
residency halls, with student RAs in freshman residency halls having the consistently lowest levels of 
well-being. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgetown	Scientific	Research	Journal	
 

 

 
Figure A2. Well-being over time compared to previous years of experience as a student RA. There were 
no significant correlations between number of previous years of student RA experience and well-being 
over the course of the semester (Wilks’ Lambda: 0.491). There were overall higher levels of well-being 
in student RAs who had two or more years prior experience as an RA (green line) compared to one-year 
prior experience (red line) or no years prior experience (blue line). 

53




	Table of Contents
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	Impacts of Climate Change on Mycorrhizal Fungi in Salt Marsh Habitats
	CRISPR and COVID-19: Lessons Learned to Prepare for the Next Pathogen
	The Impacts on Well-being of Undergraduate College Students Serving in a Resident Assistant Role
	About the Authors
	Acknowledgements



