How social connection helps promote mental health and positive human development in college students in Portugal? - Data from the national HBSC/ JUnP

Abstract

Humans are social animals, and crave feeling supported, valued and connected. Research shows that social connection provides important benefits to mental health and positive human development. The aim of this study was to explore how social connection helps promote mental health and positive human development and report the associations with the PYD construct of connection with different dimensions of mental health (e.g. self-regulation, resilience, anxiety, aggressiveness and worries), life satisfaction and academic performance in a large sample of Portuguese students. The HBSC/JUnP data base comprises a representative sample of 2991 college students (n=2203; 73.7% women) and their age ranged from 18 to 35 years old (22.43±3.83). Participants’ socio-demographic characteristics included sex, age and academic degree; besides participants were inquired about the PYD construct of connection and its subdimensions (family, university, neighbourhood, peers), mental health (namely self-regulation, resilience, anxiety, aggressiveness, worries), life satisfaction and academic performance. Results showed that all variables had mostly significantly correlational associations. Specifically, the linear regression model evidenced that the promotion of self-regulation and resilience, along with the reduction of anxiety and worries, can be relevant for improving social connections (PYD Connection).

Keywords

• Positive development
• Connection
• Self-regulation
• Mental health
• Academic performance
• College students