Analysis On Influential Factors Of Psychological Health Of Students Majoring In Comoputer Science

[OBJECTIVE] The purpose of this study is to evaluate the state of psychological health of college students majoring in Computer Science, and to determine what factors among personality, stress source, coping style and family background have major influences on their psychological health.[METHODS] A total of 800 college students majoring in Computer Science were investigated by 16PF, SCL-90, Coping Style Questionnaire, and Psychological Stress Feeling Scale for College Students. They were derived from a stratified cluster sampling in one university located in Jinan, Shandong, China. Data were entered into an EXCEL database, and were analyzed by SAS 9.0. Descriptive analysis, T test, x~2 test, Pearson linear correlation, and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the data.[RESULTS]1. Each SCL-90 factor score of students majoring Computer Science was significantly higher (t=4.188-10.649,P<0.001) than same-age Chinese norm. Compared with general Chinese college students, they had higher scores on obsessive-compulsive(t=4.648,P<0.001), interpersonal sensitivity(t=2.133,P=0.035), anxiety(t=4.212,P <0.001), psychoticism (t=2.015,P =0.044), and lower score on paranoid ideation(t=2.18,P =0.029).2. There were 217 psychological disorders among 708 students, and this represented a disorder rate of 30.65%. The disorder rates of various psychological disorders were as following: obsessive-compulsive(20.90%), interpersonal sensitivity(16.38%), depression(13.84%), paranoid ideation(12.57%), hostility(12.57%), anxiety(9.75%), psychoticism(8.05%), somatization(5.09%), phobia anxiety(3.95%).3. Compared with the group of psychologically healthy students, quite different social-psychological characters were observed from unhealthy students group. Their personalities exhibited higher vigilance(t=8.34, P<0.001), higher apprehension(t=9.11, P<0.001), higher tension(t=9.79,P<0.001) and lower warmth(t=3.52, P<0.001), lower emotional stability(t=5.93, P<0.001), lower liveliness(t=4.58, P<0.001), lower rule-consciousness(t =2.92, P =0.004), lower social boldness(t =3.86,P<0.001), lower privateness(t =2.79,P =0.005), lower perfectionism(t =5.84,P <0.001). When facing stress, they preferred coping styles(t =5.90-10.01,P <0.001) of avoidance, imagination, self-abuse, rationalization. They experienced stronger stress feeling in pressure from personal life including family, adaptation, physical health, dating, low self-esteem, and frustration, and as well as pressure from social life including interpersonal relationship , career , emotion, school and academic performance (t =9.39-13.46,P <0.001).4. The total psychological disorder susceptibility of student leaders was 1.845 times, and obsessive-compulsive disorder susceptibility was 3.406 times, as much as that of other students. The students from single-parent family had a higher disorder rate of 2.322 times and 3.406 times, respectively, in total psychological disorder susceptibility when compared to three-generation family and two-parent family. These numbers were 3.133 times and 5.729 times in susceptibility to phobia anxiety disorder. The susceptibility of somatization among only child students was 2.860 times of those with siblings. The interpersonal sensitive susceptibility of students from rural areas was 1.575 times of those from cities. The students with junior college experience have lower susceptibility in obsessive-compulsive disorder and psychotic disorder than others. The students whose parents have higher education level have significantly lower scores in obsessive-compulsive(F=2.67,P=0.031), interpersonal sensitivity(F=4.19,P=0.002), depression(F=3.19,P =0.013, anxiety(F =2.51,P =0.040, phobia anxiety(F=2.53,P =0.039), etc.[CONCLUSIONS]1. The findings of this study suggest that psychological health of college students majoring in Computer Science is in a dangerous state. These students have higher scores on each dimension of SCL-90 than the same-age Chinese norm, and they also have higher scores on obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, psychoticism than Chinese college students in general.2. The total disorder rate of psychological disorder is 30.65%,and the main types of disorders are obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitive, depression, etc.3. Compared with the psychologically healthy students, unhealthy students exhibit quite different social-psychological characters including higher vigilance, higher apprehension, higher tension, and lower warmness, lower emotional stability, lower rule-consciousness, and lower perfectionism. When facing stress, they tend to adopt ineffective coping styles and experience more pressure from physical health, interpersonal relationships, careers, academics.4. Different psychological disorders have different risk population. Female students are at higher risk for phobia anxiety disorder; students from single-parent family are at higher risk for all psychological disorders, especially for phobia anxiety disorder; students from rural areas are at higher risk for interpersonal sensitivity; students that are only child in family are at higher risk for somatizational disorder; student leaders are risk population of all psychological problems, especially in obsessive-compulsive disorder.In this study, we also find that students with junior college experiences have better psychological health than others and parents with high education level play positive role in helping students maintain psychological health.5. The psychological disorder is caused by various factors such as unhealthy personality, excessive stress, ineffective coping styles, etc. Education on psychological health to college students majoring in Computer Science should focus on monitoring risk population, optimization of students' personality structure and strengthening students' ability of dealing with various stress.6. This is the first study to analyze the influencing factors of psychological health that is specifically targeted on students majoring in Computer Science. By analyzing the risk factors of various psychological disorders, we find some factors such as high tension plays important role in all these disorders. However, each kind of psychological disorder has its own risk population and risk factors.7. Future research: By utilizing more sophisticated mathematics and statistical tools, a more in-depth study on the interactional relationship among various risk factors of psychological disorders can be achieved with a more quantitative analysis.