Perceived Health Locus of Control, Self-Esteem, and Its Relations to Psychological Well-Being Status in Iranian Students

Background: Health locus of control (HLC) has been associated with a variety of ailments and health outcomes and de-signed to predict behaviors and cognitive processes relevant to mental and physical health. This study investigated the relationships between perceived health locus of control, self-esteem, and mental health status among Iranian students. Methods: In this analytical study the subjects were recruited from students in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, who studied in the first year (N=154). Students completed the questionnaires for assessing demographic, perceived health locus of control, self- esteem and psychological well- being data. Results: The statistical analysis revealed a negative relationship between perceived Internal HLC and self-esteem with psychological well-being. The positive correlation of the perceived Chance HLC with psychological well-being was statisti-cally significant (r = 0.21, P< 0.01) and the positive correlation of the perceived Internal HLC with self-esteem was statisti-cally significant (r = 0.25, P< 0.01). A significantly direct relationship between low perceived Internal HLC, self–esteem and psychological problems was found among these students. Conclusion: The findings will be addressed in relation to their implications for effective mental health education based on health locus of control especially internal and powerful others beliefs associated with self-esteem for students. This will re-quire additional monitoring and uninterrupted trying in order to be effective