| The social factors surrounding health including worry and well-being, the way in which they function as multi-dimensional constructs, and the potential stability of relationships among the social factors were examined across universities in Hawaii and Japan. Maintaining or strengthening social factors of collective and individual health and well-being is a core factor of social capital and is instrumental in reducing worry and increasing trust. 660 male and female college students (363 college students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; 297 college students at Reitaku University in Japan) completed a quantitative questionnaire survey, and the data was analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) with ALSCAL from non-metric Multidimensional Scaling. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 64 male and female college students (32 college students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; 32 college students at Reitaku University in Japan) were used to collect information on social factors of health and well-being and associated concepts; students' perceptions were grouped under 11 themes.;The results showed that both male and female students defined and centered the worry structure in health and well-being as two or three object domains, macro-micro or macro-mixed-micro, respectively, and seven life domains. These were safety, environment, social problems, safety and health, social, meaning, and achievement and economics. The data also substantially revealed cross-cultural applicability and the similarity of findings in Hawaii and Japan, as well as gender applicability and similarity in Hawaii. However, the pattern of worry structure in Japanese male students was different. In addition, individual interview data delineated linkages between the economic downturn, social uncertainty, worry or concerns about the future and society, and participants' current health status and well-being.;The data indicates that social factors such as quality of life (QOL), social capital, risks, illness, and concern or worry all have an impact on college students' health and well-being. They also suggest that differences in health status and well-being can be plausibly attributed to processes associated with socio-environmental circumstances and situations. |
