Presentation

Viviana López, Víctor López
Private Technical University of Loja

Abstract

Satisfaction with life ( SWLS ) is a little-explored construct in the field of clinical psychology and among young population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between satisfaction with life and mental health indicators (depression, perceived stress and psychological inflexibility) in students from public universities in Ecuador. The sample consisted of 2,000 university students, 57.1% were women and 42.9% men, the average age was 21.54 years. The instruments used were: Life Satisfaction Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II, Patient Scale Health Questionnaire-9 and the Perceived Stress Scale-10. The results indicate that Life Satisfaction is significantly, negatively and highly correlated with depression (Rho=-0.471 p<0.01), perceived stress (Rho=-0.492 p<0.01) and psychological inflexibility (Rho=-0.451 p< 0.01). As the study empirically verified that Life Satisfaction is a protective factor for the mental health of university students, it is recommended that this research be taken into account for the development of promotion, prevention and primary therapeutic intervention programs that are oriented to the development of the capacities, strengths and virtues of university students.

Keywords:life satisfaction, depression, perceived stress and psychological inflexibility