Performance on Personal Short-Term Academic Goals Changes College Students’ Non-Specific Psychological Distress

Psychological well-being decreases across academic terms for first-generation students, but this mechanism is unclear. This study examined whether reaching short-term academic goals predicted changes in non-specific psychological distress for first-generation and non-first-generation students. Psychological distress exhibited a moderated decline if students outperformed their short-term academic goal, regardless of generation status.