Table 5.
Study 2 Results: Identity Fusion Predicted Retention One and Two Semesters Later.
| One Semester Later |
Two Semesters Later |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predictor | OR [95% CI] | Wald χ2 | p | AIC | OR [95% CI] | Wald χ2 | p | AIC |
| Model 1—no controls | 769 | 1,304 | ||||||
| Identity fusion with university (z) | 1.97 [1.59, 2.45] | 38.33 | <.001 | 1.55 [1.34, 1.81] | 33.02 | <.001 | ||
| Model 2—with demographic controls | 568 | 1,069 | ||||||
| Identity fusion with university (z) | 2.15 [1.67, 2.81] | 33.67 | <.001 | 1.62 [1.37, 1.92] | 31.57 | <.001 | ||
| Freshman status | 1.70 [1.03, 2.78] | 4.44 | .035 | 0.91 [0.64, 1.30] | 0.25 | .61 | ||
| SES | 1.16 [1.00, 1.36] | 3.84 | .05 | 1.14 [1.02, 1.26] | 5.85 | .016 | ||
| Ethnicity | 1.35 [0.80, 2.27] | 1.27 | .26 | 1.75 [1.23, 1.78] | 9.77 | .002 | ||
| Gender | 1.45 [0.88, 2.37] | 2.14 | .14 | 1.27 [1.02, 1.26] | 1.86 | .17 | ||
| Model 3—with personality controls | 663 | 1,181 | ||||||
| Identity fusion with university (z) | 2.08 [1.63, 2.69] | 32.75 | <.001 | 1.62 [1.37, 1.92] | 30.94 | <.001 | ||
| Openness | 1.11 [0.77, 1.59] | 0.32 | .57 | 0.93 [0.72, 1.20] | 0.34 | .56 | ||
| Conscientiousness | 1.57 [1.09, 2.26] | 5.92 | .015 | 1.62 [1.25, 2.09] | 13.37 | <.001 | ||
| Extroversion | 0.74 [0.55, 1.00] | 3.86 | .049 | 0.80 [0.65, 0.99] | 4.07 | .044 | ||
| Agreeableness | 0.96 [0.66, 2.69] | 0.04 | .84 | 0.92 [0.70, 1.19] | 0.41 | .52 | ||
| Neuroticism | 0.80 [0.58, 1.10] | 1.93 | .16 | 0.91 [0.73, 1.13] | 0.73 | .39 | ||
| Model 4—with prior GPA control | 303 | 353 | ||||||
| Identity fusion with university (z) | 1.85 [1.33, 2.61] | 12.99 | <.001 | 1.83 [1.36, 2.50] | 15.2 | <.001 | ||
| Prior cumulative GPA | 3.82 [2.43, 6.10] | 32.94 | <.001 | 4.08 [2.68, 6.29] | 42.16 | <.001 | ||
| Model 5—with belonging uncertainty control | 273 | 98 | ||||||
| Identity fusion with university (z) | 1.94 [1.31, 2.90] | 10.90 | <.001 | 2.00 [1.08, 3.80] | 4.78 | .029 | ||
| Belonging uncertainty | 1.47 [1.00, 2.20] | 3.62 | .057 | 1.44 [0.79, 2.73] | 1.38 | .24 | ||
| Prior cumulative GPA | — | — | — | 2.02 [0.79, 5.21] | 2.18 | .14 | ||
Note. Models 1–4 reflect logistic regressions conducted with the combined sample (N = 2,318). Model 5 reflects a logistic regression conducted with the fall 2016 sample (N = 772), the only semester belonging uncertainty was measured. Personality traits were measured with the Big Five inventory. Demographic controls were dummy coded as follows: freshman status (0 = nonfreshman, 1 = freshman), ethnicity (0 = underrepresented minority, 1 = White or Asian), and gender (0 = male, 1 = female). GPA = grade point average; SES = socioeconomic status. Bold type denotes identity fusion results.