Short communication, Note

Psychological background underlying the quality of Croatian students’ roommate relationship

Luka Roje ; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Antea Britvić ; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Maša Tonković Grabovac ; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb

Abstract

This study was created as a framework for the website idealni-cimer.hr, an internet interface that uses psychology-grounded instruments to help students find their suitable roommate within half an hour, making the roommate search quick and effective. The results of American research could potentially lead us to wrong conclusions when searching for an ideal roommate of a Croatian student, since findings seem to be culturally specific. A pilot study
and the analyses of focus groups done on 120 Croatian students, suggested that personality is not the only predictor of satisfaction with the roommate relationship. Attitudes towards neatness and the life habits while in a shared apartment also proved to be important. Based on these findings, we designed and assembled a questionnaire and examined its diagnostic validity on a sample of 80 students who were living with a roommate at the time of the study. Analysis that included data of over 300 users of the idealni-cimer.hr interface suggested that the key determinants of roommate relationship satisfaction are attitudes towards neatness, several personality dimensions (conscientiousness, self-discipline, cooperation, extroversion, and neuroticism) and specific life habits (behavior concerning common living space, behavior concerning relationship to roommate, and bringing over guests in the common living space).

Keywords

roommates; personality; life habits; attitudes; idealni-cimer.hr

Hrčak ID:

128170

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/128170

Publication date:

1.9.2014.

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