Examining the Relationship of Optimism and Emotion Regulation Strategies with General Health among Students of University of Sistan and Baluchestan

Abstract

Background and Objective: Individuals apply various emotion regulation strategies, some of which are adaptive and others are maladaptive affecting people’s general health. Moreover, individual life-orientation including favorable expectancies about future (optimism) is associated with health-related behaviors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship of optimism and emotion regulation strategies with general health of university students. Materials and Methods: This was a correlational study. In this regard, 182 students of University of Sistan and Baluchestan (70 males and 112 females) were chosen. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all undergraduate students of the university of Sistan and Baluchestan in the second semester of the 2009-2010 academic year. Considering the nature of the current study, the correlational method was applied. Based on Krejcie and Morgan’s table, a sample of 200 subjects was selected from students majored at different fields including human sciences, basic sciences and technical-engineering through applying multi-stage random sampling method. Eighteen incomplete questionnaire forms were excluded. Finally, data obtained from 182 subjects (112 females, 70 males) were analyzed. The mean age was 21.1 year-old and standard deviation of the sample was 2.06. Samplings were assessed using the Revised Life-Orientation Test (LOT-R), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and General Health-28 Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results: Findings showed that there was a significant positive relationship between optimism and general health (r = 0.22, p < 0.01). Among all research variables, i.e. optimism and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), only optimism was able to predict 0.06 percent of variance of general health (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Optimists have higher general health and consistent with other findings, optimism is associated with higher levels of applying coping strategies and lower levels of avoidance.