Association between self-control and psychosocial outcomes in undergraduates

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze how self-regulation processes can impact psychosocial outcomes in university students. Method: We investigated 215 participants. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Delaying Gratification Inventory, and the Ego Resiliency Scale were used as measures of self control. The psychosocial outcomes analyzed were stress (Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale), quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument-Abbreviated version – WHOQOL-Bref), and mental health (Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20). Results: Self-control measures correlated significantly with all outcomes. In a regression analysis, impulse control and ego resiliency were simultaneously associated with outcomes, while delaying gratification was not significant. Conclusion: Variables of self-regulation were predictors of mental health, stress, and quality of life in university students. These measures may be capable of indicating non-functional outcomes and/or protective factors, depending on how the subject reacts to the environment.

Keywords

• Self-control
• stress
• mental health
• quality of life