Predicting College Students’ Mental Health Based on Religious Faith Mediated by Happiness, Ambivalent Attachment Style, and Locus of Control

The present study was designed to examine the college student’s mental health prediction model based on religious faith mediated by happiness, ambivalent attachment style, and ‎locus of control.

The study method was correlational. The statistical population included all college students of Shiraz University in the academic year of 2013-2014. The sample included 240 college students selected by convenience sampling method. Measures included the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28, 1979), the religious faith scale (RFS, 2014), the Oxford happiness inventory (OHI, 1989), the Collins and Read revised adult attachment scale (RAAS, 1990), and the Rotter’s locus of control scale (RLCS, 1966). The data were analyzed by multiple regression, path analysis, and structural equation modeling methods.

The data were analyzed by multiple regression, path analysis, and structural equation modeling methods. The study results showed that the variables of religious faith (P=0.0001, β=0.29), happiness variable (P=0.0001, β=0.37), and ambivalent attachment (P=0.0001, β=0.29) can positively and significantly predict mental health. Likewise, religious faith positively and significantly predicted happiness (P=0.0001, β=0.54) and negatively and significantly predicted ambivalent attachment (P=0.0001, β=-0.21). The religious faith could not predict the locus of control. The mediating role of happiness was confirmed. However, the mediating role of ambivalent attachment style and locus of control was not confirmed.

The modified model confirmed the mediating role of happiness between religious faith and mental health. Therefore, those components of faith that lead to happiness may be a protective marker for mental health.