Comparison of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation, Locus of Control and Meaning in life in Native and Non-Native Students

One of the critical periods in youth is the studentship period, which is a dynamic transitional period. Several factors can influence university students’ psychological health. They can be generally divided into personal, university, and social factors. The purpose of this study is to compare the cognitive emotion regulation, locus of control and meaning in life of native and non-native students in Mohaghegh Ardabili University. The method of this study is causal-comparative. Statistical population of this study comprised all native and non-native students in Mohaghegh Ardabili University in the year 2015. From among this population, 100 students (50 native students and 50 non-native students) were selected as sample by convenience sampling method. The used tools were Granefski et al.’s cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire, Rutter’s locus of control survey and Steger’s meaning in life questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results showed that the average score of external locus of control among non-native students was significantly higher than that of native ones. Furthermore, the mean score of internal locus control was significantly lower for non-native students (p<0.001). Additionally, compared to their non-native counterparts, native students used a larger repertoire of positive emotions and efficient strategies (acceptance, positive refocusing, refocus on planning, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective) (p<0.001). Also, native students registered significantly higher scores in terms of meaning in life in comparison with the non-native students (p<0.001). According to the obtained results, their frequent use of internal locus of control, positive cognition, emotion, and more frequent search for life indicate the better psychological condition and performance of non-native students. It is therefore essential to pay attention to these aspects and try to develop them.