Correlation of social support and coping style with mental health among undergraduates from military medical universities

Fange LIU; Conghua ZHANG; Anhui WANG; Libing LIU

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Undergraduates from military medical universities face many psychological stresses. Poor coping style might affect the status of mental health. Mental health might also be associated with social support and personality.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the correlation of social support and coping style with mental health among undergraduates from military medical universities.

DESIGN:

Cluster sampling and questionnaire investigation.

SETTING:

The Center of Basic Medicine Eexperiment, School of Basic Medicine and School of Preventive Medicine of Fourth Military Medical University of Chinese PLA, and Xi'an Hospital of Sports Trauma.

PARTICIPANTS:

Totally 352 freshmen of a military medical university were chosen by cluster sampling in October 2004 as the subjects.

METHODS:

Investigationwas performed on subjects with Symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90), social support rating scale (SSRS), coping style questionnaire (CSQ) and revised Eysenck's personality questionnaires short scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC).SCL-90 consists of 90 items, including 10 factors. SSRS consists of subjective support, objective support and the utilization of support 3 factors as well as total score of social support. CSQ consists of problem solving, self-reproach, asking for help, keeping out of the way, fancy, rationalization 6 factors. EPQ-RSC mainly consisted of extraversion-introversion (E), neuroticism (N), psychoticism/tough mindedness (P) and lie/social diserability (L) 4 dimensions. Data were performed statistical management with t test and correlation analysis.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

①Comparison of the scores of various factors of social support, coping style and personality among undergraduates with different mental health levels from military medical universities. ② Correlation of different social supports, copying styles and personalities with SCL-90. ③ Comparison of scores of mental health,coping style and personality of military medical undergraduates under different social supports.

RESULTS:

Totally 352 questionnaires were handed out and all of them were retrieved and eligible, with responding rate of 100%. ① The total scores of SRSS were taken as the grouping index, and 25% of the undergraduates who had the highest scores and the lowest scores were respectively chosen as severe symptom group and mild symptom group.Total scores of social support, subjective support and the utilization of support were higher in the mild symptom group than in the severe symptom group, but no difference in the objective support existed between two groups; Compared with mild symptom group, self-reproach, fancy, keeping out of the way and other immature coping styles were more significantly used, but asking for help was less, the scores of E were lower, but those of N were higher in the severe symptom group. ② Various factors of mental health were significantly negatively correlated with the total scores of support, the utilization of support, asking for help, E and L (r=-0.131 to -0.306 ,P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01 ), but positively correlated with self-reproach,fancy, keeping out of the way, rationalization and N (r=0.141-0.450, P＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01). ③ Total scores of support was used as the grouping index, 27% of the subjects who had the highest scores and lowest scores were chosen respectively as high support group and low support group.Mental health level was superior in the high support group to in the low support group; Most of the undergraduates of high support group preferred active coping styles, and those of low support group preferred passive coping styles; Scores of E of high support group were higher than those of low support group, and the scores of N and P were lower than those of low support group (P ＜ 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Social support, coping style and EPQ-RSC interact and co-influence mental health.