Association between health locus of control and perceived stress in college student during the COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study in Iran

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic as a global mental health crisis has affected everyone, including students. The present study aimed to determine and investigate the relationship between health locus of control and perceived stress in students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences (southern Iran) during the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods The present cross-sectional study examined 250 students of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. We performed simple random sampling and utilized the demographic information form, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale (MHLCS) by Wallston, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) by Cohen to collect data. We analyzed data using the SPSS, Pearson correlation coefficient, and the hierarchical regression model with an error level of 5%. Results The mean perceived stress was 30.74 ± 8.09, and 92.4% of the students had moderate and high stress levels. Among the components of the health locus of control, the internal health locus of control (IHLC) had the highest mean in students (27.55 ± 3.81). Furthermore, the internal health locus of control (R = − 0.30, P < 0.001) had a significant inverse relationship, with perceived stress and the chance health locus of control (CHLC) (R = 0.30, P < 0.001) had a significant direct relationship. In the final regression model, the health locus of control and all the variables predicted 22.7% of the perceived stress variation in students during the COVID-19 period. Conclusion The results indicated that the internal health locus of control was associated with a reduction of perceived stress, and the powerful others health locus of control (PHLC) was related to its increase in students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the uncertain future, in the present work, universities are suggested to design web-based educational interventions alongside the curriculum to further strengthen the internal health locus of control and thus help reduce their perceived stress.

Perceived stress and associated factors among university students in Ethiopia during the late stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…The difference might be due to the fact that the current study has been conducted at the late stage of COVID-19, and in this study, the PSS-10 was used to measure perceived stress, while the previous study had used the standard validated Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire. Perceived stress in this study was also lower than that found in several studies conducted in France (Bourion-Bédès et al, 2021), Turkey (Aslan et al, 2020), the KSA, China (Cao et al, 2020), Iran (Ganjoo et al, 2021), and India (Wakode et al, 2020). Perceived stress in the current study was higher than that identified in a study conducted among Switzerland students (Elmer et al, 2020).…”

Taking Charge: Social Support Dynamics among Older Adults and Their Significant Others in COVID-19 Vaccination and Mitigation Efforts

“…People with high internal LoC believe that health outcomes are primarily contingent on their own choices and behaviors. Individuals with high external LoC believe that health is beyond their own control, determined by “powerful others” such as healthcare professionals, unpredictable events, and luck or fate [ 17 ]. Importantly, HLoC falls on a spectrum; people have varying degrees of both internal and external HLoC and health behaviors are best understood as interactions between these two dimensions of health beliefs [ 18 ].…”

Correlation of Attitudes towards Remote Consultations of a Rheumatologist with Health Locus of Control: Survey of Lithuanian Patients with Chronic Rheumatic Diseases

“…Data of the present study have revealed that estimating by the average of evaluation, Internality health locus of control stood out most significantly (M=2.18). It is likely that these people will better adapt to their chronic rheumatic disease and will try to change their behavior in a "healthier" direction, will participate in the treatment process, will follow a doctor's instructions and the like (Ganjoo et al, 2021). Significant others health locus of control is slightly less expressed (M=2.09); individuals of this type will entrust doctors with their health and they will most likely maintain a paternalistic attitude towards treatment (Lindström & Rosvall, 2020).…”

“…In 1976, Wallston and his colleagues established in science the notion of health locus of control (Wallston, Wallston, Kaplan & Maides, 1976). According to these authors, health locus of control is a psychosocial construct made of three indicators (Duplaga & Grysztar, 2021): 1) Internality health locus of control, which reflects conviction of a person that they themselves are capable of affecting their health (Ganjoo, Farhadi, Baghbani, Daneshi & Nemati, 2021). 2) External chance health locus of control -when a person believes that health is determined by fate, coincidences or luck.…”