Transactions on Data Analysis in Social Science

Transactions on Data Analysis in Social Science

The Purpose of Determining Prediction of Quality of Life Based on the Feeling of Psychological Coherence and Tolerance of Distress in Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Master's student, Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The study aimed to predict the quality of life based on psychological coherence and distress tolerance among undergraduate students at Tehran University of Science and Research, using a descriptive and correlational approach. The study aimed to predict the quality of life based on psychological coherence and distress tolerance among undergraduate students at Tehran University of Science and Research, using a descriptive and correlational approach. The statistical population consisted of randomly selected students.  Information was gathered through the administration of three psychological coherence questionnaires, each containing 29 items, developed by Antonovsky (1993), the World Health Organization's quality of life questionnaire, which contains 24 items and Simmons and Gaher's (2005) distress tolerance scale that contains 15 items. The validity of the questionnaires' content and structure was established through their administration to a group of participants, whilst their reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, reporting values of (0.742), (0.864) and (0.725). Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, in addition to inferential statistics including Pearson’s correlation coefficient and regression. The findings indicated that among the variables examined in the regression, the feeling of psychological coherence was the primary factor affecting the quality of life in the first step, while in the second step, along with psychological coherence, distress tolerance also contributed significantly. Following step-by-step regression analysis, a significant relationship between the feeling of psychological coherence, tolerance of distress, and quality of life was found. The Coefficient of sense of psychological coherence explains 34.2% of the variance of quality of life in the first step, while in the second step, the dimensions of sense of psychological coherence and distress tolerance explain 35.7% of the variance of quality of life.
Keywords

  • World Health Organization. (1997). WHOQOL: Measuring quality of life. Geneva: WHO.
  • Dalkey, N. C., & Rourke, D. L. (1973). The quality of life concept: A potential new tool for decision makers. Washington, DC: Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Stallman, H. M. (2010). Psychological distress in university students: A comparison with general population data. Australian Psychologist, 45(4), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2010.482109
  • Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health: How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • Eriksson, M., & Lindström, B. (2006). Antonovsky's sense of coherence scale and its relation with health: A systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(5), 376–381. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.041616
  • Moksnes, U. K., Eilertsen, M. E. B., Ringdal, R., Bjørnsen, H. N., & Rannestad, T. (2019). Life satisfaction in association with self-efficacy and stressor experience in adolescents: The mediating role of sense of coherence. Personality and Individual Differences, 138, 294–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.10.021
  • Simons, J. S., & Gaher, R. M. (2005). The Distress Tolerance Scale: Development and validation of a self-report measure. Motivation and Emotion, 29(2), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-005-7955-3
  • Leyro, T. M., Zvolensky, M. J., & Bernstein, A. (2010). Distress tolerance and psychopathological symptoms and disorders: A review of the empirical literature among adults. Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), 576–600. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019712
  • Bardeen, J. R., Fergus, T. A., & Orcutt, H. K. (2013). Experiential avoidance as a moderator of the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and perceived stress. Behavior Therapy, 44(3), 459–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2013.04.001
  • Zvolensky, M. J., Vujanovic, A. A., Bernstein, A., & Leyro, T. (2010). Distress tolerance: Theory, measurement, and relations to psychopathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(6), 406–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721410388642
  • Super, S., Wagemakers, A., Picavet, H. S. J., Verkooijen, K. T., & Koelen, M. A. (2016). Strengthening sense of coherence: Opportunities for theory building in health promotion. Health Promotion International, 31(4), 869–878. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dav071
  • Chu, J. J., Khan, M. H., Jahn, H. J., & Kraemer, A. (2016). Sense of coherence and associated factors among university students in China: Cross-sectional evidence. BMC Public Health, 16, 336. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3003-3
  • Beiter, R., Nash, R., McCrady, M., Rhoades, D., Linscomb, M., Clarahan, M., & Sammut, S. (2015). The prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of college students. Journal of Affective Disorders, 173, 90–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.054
  • Eisenberg, D., Gollust, S. E., Golberstein, E., & Hefner, J. L. (2007). Prevalence and correlates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among university students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 534–542. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.77.4.534
  • Välimäki, M., Anttila, M., & Anttila, K. (2020). Promoting mental health among university students: The role of sense of coherence and social support. Journal of American College Health, 68(6), 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1583653
  • Lipson, S. K., Lattie, E. G., & Eisenberg, D. (2019). Increased rates of mental health service utilization by U.S. college students: 10-year population-level trends (2007–2017). Psychiatric Services, 70(1), 60–63. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201800332
  • Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
  • Antonovsky, A. (1993). The structure and properties of the Sense of Coherence scale. Social Science & Medicine, 36(6), 725–733. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(93)90033-Z
  • The WHOQOL Group. (1996). WHOQOL-BREF: Introduction, administration, scoring and generic version of the assessment. Geneva: World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/63529
  • Skevington, S. M., Lotfy, M., & O’Connell, K. A. (2004). The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QURE.0000018486.91360.00
Volume 5, Issue 2
Spring 2023
Pages 104-110

  • Receive Date 19 April 2023
  • Revise Date 22 May 2023
  • Accept Date 19 June 2023