SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AND LOCUS OF CONTROL ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS.

Abstract

Background and objectives: To study the relationship between socio-demographic factors and locus of control on mental health among college students.Methods: The sample size consists of 150 cases of college going students out of which 75 cases were males and 75 cases were females. Students within the age group of 18-23 years and who were willing to participate and give informed consent were selected through stratied random sampling technique. The semi structured performa, Rotter's locus of control scale by Anand Kumar and Srivastava and mental health inventory by Jagdish and Srivastava were used to collect the data. Results: The nding of the study showed no relationship between the socio demographic proles of the study sample and locus of control. Further it was found that the overall mental health and locus of control have no relationship. However, the present study showed an association between two components of mental health (positive self evaluation and group oriented attitude) and locus of control indicating that students with internal locus of control have more positive self evaluation and group oriented activity than those who have an external locus of control.Conclusion: The present study concluded that the socio demographic factors had no relationship with the locus of control of the students and also there was no association with the overall mental health of the students with the locus of control. The stage of transition from school to college life is marked by a lot of adjustment issues and stress associated with academic pressure and various other environmental factors. This is a crucial time to learn and adopt adaptive and healthy ways of dealing with the various demands of the new environment. The study would enable students to understand how they give meaning to events in life and thus will help them understand themselves better. Further the current study would also be helpful in exploring the level of mental health of the students and providing necessary intervention if needed.