The relationship between lifestyle, mental health and attitude towards addiction: behavioral-chemical and social study among the students in Semnan University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

World Health Organization (WHO) has defined mental health as the ability to communicate with others, modify one’s personal and social environment, and resolve personal conflicts. Mental health disorders are often associated with substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between lifestyle, mental health and attitude towards addiction. In this cross-sectional study, the subjects were selected through stratified random sampling from the students of the School of Allied Medical Sciences, in 2020. The sample size consisted of 179 first-year students. Four questionnaires, including a demographic questionnaire, Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ), and the attitude towards addiction questionnaire, were used to collect data. The results of the GHQ showed that 76.5% of the students had a favorable general health. The LSQ score was good in 92.7% of the students, with the highest and lowest mean scores pertaining to the domains of adverse event prevention and exercise-wellbeing, respectively. There was a negative and significant association between the GHQ scores and the LSQ scores and lifestyle was a predictive variable for the students' general health. Given that lifestyle seems to be able to predict the general health of students, it is necessary to pay further attention to the various aspects of lifestyle, especially exercise and health. The universities should devise plans that direct changes of this life stage toward an appropriate route. This acculturation and education should not be limited to educational environments; rather, they should also be extended to the family level.