Relation Between Values And Mental Health Of Undergraduates In Shanghai

Values, consistently existing in the cognitive systems of individuals or communities by way of belief, are the tendency in choosing the object by the subject. The functions of such assessment and choices affect greatly the behavior and mental health of an individual. Behind an unhealthy mentality there is always a conflict of values, to which one' s mental health is closely related. This dissertation, therefore, is targeted at examining the relation between university students' vales and their mental health and the effects of gender differences on this relation, and thus serves as a reference for studies on university student' mental health.Values of 557 university freshmen were measured by a questionnaire designed on values. Twelve factors were extracted through the factor analysis, and three value dimensions were extracted from these twelve factors. Based on the results of UPI, SAS and SAD, these 557 subjects are divided into two groups: problem group and normal group. Through the variance analysis, distinction of values between these two groups, distinction of values between male students and female students, and the effects of gender differences on each of the two groups are examined. The results suggested:a) Normal group and problem group differ greatly in three dimensions (i.e., individual life values, social life values, and authority values) and ten factors. Compared with the normal group, the problem group are characterized as passive, not good at human intercourse, fatalistic, superstitious, less independent, less keen on pursuing knowledge, less likely to be honest and keep promises, indifferent to others, less willing to conform to tradition, and self-centered.b) Male students and female students differ greatly in one dimension (i.e., social life values) as well as six factors (i.e., self-help, risk-taking, sympathy with others, aesthetics, pursuit of knowledge, and self-center).c) Gender differences in values do have some effects on the mental health of an individual. Male students' overlook of social life is not conducive to their mental health, and their conflicts in values caused by individual achievements can easily lead to mental problems; the fact that female students with low scores in self-help, risk-taking and pursuit of knowledge is not conducive to their mental health, and their conflicts in values in communication can easily lead to mental problems.