Study of Relationship between Optimism, Pessimism and Coping Strategies with Mental Health among University Students of Lorestan

摘要

The present study is conducted to determine the relationship between optimism, pessimism and coping strategies and mental health and ability to predict these concepts in students mental health in the academic year 2014 in Lorestan University. 367 subjects sampling via stratified random were selected among students of Lorestan University. Tools for data collection in this study are mental health questionnaire (GHQ-28), Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) and a questionnaire dealing with stressful situations (CISS). The method of study is correlational and data are analyzed using the stepwise regression. Data analysis shows that there are significant relationships among optimism, pessimism, and mental health (p < 0.01). There is positive and significant relationship between problem-oriented coping strategies and subject’s mental health. Also there is a significant negative relationship between coping strategies and mental health (p < 0.01). The results of study show that optimism, pessimism, coping strategies and problem-oriented coping, differently explain variance related to mental health and its subscales significantly (p < 0.01). Generally speaking, optimistic people have more mental health because of following health lifestyles and behavior and confirming problem-oriented coping strategies. Those who follow have higher capacity of solving the problem, because they involve with the problem directly, so they have higher level of mental health.