Health is one of th most important factors influencing the quality of human life. Health includes both physical and mental aspects. Humans are experiencing life stresses when exposed to new experiences. From the academic year of 1980, college graduati...
Health is one of th most important factors influencing the quality of human life. Health includes both physical and mental aspects. Humans are experiencing life stresses when exposed to new experiences. From the academic year of 1980, college graduation quota system was imposed to all the college-level of schools. There are other aspects which may influence the level of mental health of college students. Therefore, it is very important to study and analyze social factors affecting students mental health. The knowledge on this subject thus earned and learned will be invaluable in helping student guidance and counseling.
In this article, among others, literature survey on mental health will be made for establishing a model for analysis. Factors influencing mental health are divided into environmental factors and personal factors. The former includes family and school backgrounds in which socio-economic status of family of orientation, degree of supportive family atmosphere, parental expectation, satisfaction in university and department, student activity participation will be analyzed. The latter includes past learning experiences, grade and sex.
A total of 434 students, about 9% Pusan National University freshman class of 1983 academic year, Intervening variables for this study, About half of the respondents are male students. Intervening variables and dependent variable were investigated in November of 1983 and information on independent variables were derived from Freshman Back ground Survey Files conducted in February of 1983.
Major findings in the research are a follows:
(1) Key factors impeding the mental health of college students include grade, student activity participation, economic condition family, parental expectation and sex. Those who are too seriously concerned with grade and thus earning higher level of grade, and those who are not properly coping with earning grade tend to be mentally unhealthy. Those students who are actively participating in college student activities tend to show better mental health. Students whose families are poor tend to be low in mental health file.
(2) Some measures should be taken to alleviate social stresses of college students which may impede learning processes and hazard mental health of students.
(3) Students scholarship including tuition waiver and work opportunities should be given to students whose families are extremely poor.