Abstract—Objective:This research was designed to explore the relationship between outlook on life and mental health in university students in the information era. Methods:Three hundred and sixty-six university students were asked to fill out questionnaires on “outlook on life” and the “symptom check list 90”, to calculate the Pearson relationship between outlook on life and the SCL-90. Results:Aggregate score of the ‘outlook on life’ correlated negatively with the aggregate score in the SCL-90(r﹦-0.32, P<0.01)and correlated negatively with 9 specific factors as well(r﹦-0.17~-0.31,P<0.01). Others-orientation correlated negatively with paranoid ideation(r﹦-0.12,P<0.05),while self-orientation correlated positively with aggregate score in the SCL-90, and obsessive-compulsion, hostility and paranoid ideation(r﹦0.14~0.23,P<0.01). Optimism-orientation correlated negatively with aggregate score in the SCL-90 and 10 factors(r﹦-0.12~-0.38,P<0.01 or P<0.05),while pessimism-orientation correlated positively with the aggregate score of SCL-90 and 10 factors(r﹦0.15~0.47, P<0.01. Dedication-orientation correlated negatively with both the aggregate score in the SCL-90, and somatization, obsessive-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety and paranoid ideation(r﹦-0.11~-0.16, P<0.01 or P<0.05),while selfishness-orientation correlated positively with the aggregate score in the SCL-90, and obsessive-compulsion, hostility and paranoid ideation(r﹦0.11~0.23,P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusion:Outlook on life is a very strong influencing factor on mental health, and outlook on life education should be an essential component of mental health education for university students.
ChuZhou University (CHZU China) University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) USA The University of Hull Uk Future University Hakodate (FUN Hokkaido Japan) Iwate Prefectural University Japan Shandong Normal University (SDNU Jinan China) Xiamen University (XMU Xiamen China) Hunan University of Humanities Science and Technology China