| The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the degree of selected intrapersonal role conflicts experienced by adult women undergraduate students as they meet their responsibilities as students, parents, mates, home managers and/or workers; (2) to assess the impact of these selected intrapersonal role conflicts on load/power and, subsequently, the margin these women students have to meet the demands of their daily lives; and (3) to establish the relationships of the load/power (L/P) ratio of these women students with selected demographic, academic, and employment variables. The load-power-margin model conceptualized by Howard Y. McClusky (1963) to investigate the psychological development and adjustment of persons in the adult years was used in this study.;The major findings of this study included: (1) fifty-five percent of the adult women student responses indicated margins of potential crisis or barely maintaining a balance between responsibilities and available resources; (2) the greatest areas of conflict for these women students were Child Care and Expectations for Self; and (3) the independent variables which most frequently influenced the distribution of L/P margins were reasons for enrollment in the program, marital status, and ages of children.;It was concluded that: (1) the load/power model conceptualized by McClusky proved to be a suitable framework for studying the intrapersonal role conflicts of adult women students; and (2) institutions of higher education should provide broad supportive programs and services to assist adult women students in successfully fulfilling their academic goals.;The subjects of this study were a sample of 129 adult women undergraduate students (24 years and older) enrolled either full-time or part-time during the Spring semester of the 1982-83 school year at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire covering time management; relations with mate and children; household management; financial; child care; expectations for self; expectations of others; guilt; health status; and family attitudes. |
