The psychological profile of university students with and without a disciplinary record: A comparative study

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.Sc. in general psychology, Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Assistant professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Associate professor of psychology, Department of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Ph.D. student in psychology, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: The present research aimed to compare the psychological profile of university students with and without a disciplinary record.
 
Materials and Methods: The statistical populations of this descriptive and causal-comparative study, included all Ferdowsi University of Mashhad undergraduates with a verdict issued by the university committee on discipline in the academic years of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 and all undergraduates with no disciplinary record in the same academic year. A sample of 200 undergraduates was selected from each population with the purposive sampling method. Both groups responded to the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.
 
Results: The results showed significant differences in depression (P= 0.001), anxiety (P= 0.006), and overall mental health scores (P= 0.01) between two groups. Similarly, significant differences were found in neuroticism (P= 0.001), openness to experience (P= 0.001), agreeableness (P= 0.001), and conscientiousness (P= 0.001). Students with a disciplinary record showed more psychological problems than those without a disciplinary record. Moreover, they had higher scores for negative traits and lower scores for positive traits.
 
Conclusion: Based on these findings, students with disciplinary records may have some special personality problems and need more psychological help. Also, these findings can contribute to developing disciplinary rules to prevent student infractions.
 

Keywords

References

  1. Motevallian S-A, Sahebi R, Rahimi Movaghar R, Younesian M. Investigating the trend of drug and alcohol abuse in Tehran University of medical sciences in 2014-2017: An analysis of age, birth group and time span. Iran Epidemiol 2018; 11(2): 99-108.
  2. Alsubaie MM, Stain HJ, Webster LAD, Wadman R. The role of sources of social support on depression and quality of life for university students. Int J Adolesc Youth 2019; 24(4): 484-96.
  3. Aceijas C, Waldhäusl S, Lambert N, Cassar S, Bello-Corassa R. Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students. Perspect Public Health 2017; 137(4): 227-36.
  4. Baik C, Naylor R, Arkoudis S. The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from two decades, 1994-2014. Melbourne centre for the study of higher education; 2015.
  5. Tindall IK, Fu KW, Tremayne K, Curtis GJ. Can negative emotions increase students’ plagiarism and cheating? International journal for educational integrity 2021; 17(1): 1-16.
  6. Health CfCM. 2018 Annual Report Publication No. STA 19-180; 2019.
  7. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. [The executive code of disciplinary council of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad]. Mashhad, Iran; 2019. (Persian)
  8. Francis PC, Horn AS. Mental health issues and counseling services in US higher education: An overview of recent research and recommended practices. High Educ Policy 2017; 30(2): 263-77.
  9. Oswalt SB, Lederer AM, Chestnut-Steich K, Day C, Halbritter A, Ortiz D. Trends in college students’ mental health diagnoses and utilization of services, 2009-2015. J Am Coll Health 2020; 68(1): 41-51.
  10. Eisenberg D, Hunt J, Speer N. Mental health in American colleges and universities: Variation across student subgroups and across campuses. J Nerv Ment Dis 2013; 201(1): 60-67.
  11. Larcombe W, Finch S, Sore R, Murray CM, Kentish S, Mulder RA, et al. Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological distress among students at an Australian university. Stud High Educ 2016; 41(6): 1074-91.
  12. Underwood LA, Washington A. Mental illness and juvenile offenders. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016; 13(2): 228.
  13. Brieler JA, Scherrer JF, Salas J. Differences in prescribing patterns for anxiety and depression between general internal medicine and family medicine. J Affect Disord 2015; 172: 153-8.
  14. Mesrabadi J, Zavar T, Jabbari S. [Investigating the effect of school attachment, personality traits and academic achievement on differentiating disciplined and undisciplined students]. Journal of educational sciences 2015; 8: 93-108. (Persian)
  15. Bayrami M. [A comparison of personality characteristics and coping strategies in students with record in disciplinary committee of university and normal students]. Journal of psycholology (Tabriz University) 2010; 5: 54-71. (Persian)
  16. White A, Hingson R. The burden of alcohol use: Excessive alcohol consumption and related consequences among college students. Alcohol Res 2013; 35(2): 201-18.
  17. Brooker A, Baik C, Larcombe W. Research and development in higher education: Curriculum transformation. Sydney: Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia; 2017.
  18. Fakhrzadegan S, Gholami-Doon H, Shamloo B, Shokouhi-Moqhaddam S. The relationship between personality disorders and the type of crime committed and substance used among prisoners. Addict Health 2017; 9(2): 64.
  19. Parks L, Guay RP. Personality, values, and motivation. Pers Individ Dif 2009; 47(7): 675-84.
  20. Capellan F. A correlational study: Personality types and foreign language acquisition in undergraduate students. Southeastern University; 2017.
  21. Heller D, Ferris DL, Brown D, Watson D. The influence of work personality on job satisfaction: Incremental validity and mediation effects. J Pers 2009; 77(4): 1051-84.
  22. Kulig TC, Cullen FT, Wilcox P, Chouhy C. Personality and adolescent school-based victimization: Do the big five matter? J Sch Violence 2019; 18(2): 176-99.
  23. Blonigen DM. Explaining the relationship between age and crime: Contributions from the developmental literature on personality. Clin Psychol Rev 2010; 30(1): 89-100.
  24. Jones SE, Miller JD, Lynam DR. Personality, antisocial behavior, and aggression: A meta-analytic review. J Crim Justice 2011; 39(4): 329-37.
  25. Walters GD. Personality and crime: Mediating the agreeableness–offending and conscientiousness-offending relationships with proactive and reactive criminal thinking. Pers Individ Dif 2018; 129: 166-70.
  26. Ramírez-Correa PE. Relationship between cyber plagiarism and the big five personality traits: An empirical study in a Chilean University. HOLOS 2017; 5: 125-35.
  27. Goldberg DWP. A users' guide to the general health questionnaire. United Kingdom: NFER Nelson; 1988.
  28. Sa’atchi M, Kamkari K, Askarian M. [Psychological tests]. Tehran: Virayesh; 2010. (Persian)
  29. Garousi Farshi M. [Standardization of NEO personality test and analytical analysis of its characteristics and its structure among university students in Iran]. Ph.D. Dissertation. Tehran. (Persian)
  30. Yao YS, Kang YW, Jin YL, Gong WZ, Chen Y, Zheng L, et al. [A prevalence survey on the mental health of left behind adolescent in Anhui province]. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi 2010; 31(12): 1359-62. [Chinese]
  31. Raghuvanshi S. Approval motive and depression in criminals and non-criminals. Indian J Health Wellbeing 2013; 4(5): 1033.
  32. Karami J, Sharifi K. A survey of psychological features of violence criminals. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health 2016; 18(3): 145-50.
  33. Mikaili Manba’ F, Madadi Imamzade Z. [Correlation between social-emotional intelligence and social adaptation in students with and without a disciplinary verdict in Urmia University]. Journal of new psychological research 2008; 3: 99-121. (Persian)
  34. Heidari H, Adli M. [Correlation of social adaptation and mental health in students with and without a disciplinary record]. Social and cultural social studies. The Second National Conference on Stable Development in Educational Sciences and Psychology. Tehran: Soroush Hekmat Murtazawi Islamic Research Center. Mehr Arvand Institute of Higher Education. Center for Acquiring Stable Development Strategies, 2015. (Persian)
  35. Malesky A, Grist C, Poovey K, Dennis N. The effects of peer influence, honor codes, and personality traits on cheating behavior in a university setting. Ethics Behav 2022; 32(1): 12-21.
  36. Sinha S. Personality correlates of criminals: A comparative study between normal controls and criminals. Ind Psychiatry J 2016; 25(1): 41.
  37. Wilks DC, Cruz JN, Sousa P. Personality traits and plagiarism: An empirical study with Portuguese undergraduate students. J Acad Ethics 2016; 14(3): 231-41.
  38. Mahdavikia D, Zarei A. [Correlation of army officers’ personality traits and military servants’ infarctions]. Journal of military medicine 2019; 21(3): 272-81.
  39. Nathanson C, Paulhus DL, Williams KM. Predictors of a behavioral measure of scholastic cheating: Personality and competence but not demographics. Contemp Educ Psychol 2006; 31: 97-122.
  40. Day NE, Hudson D, Dobies PR, Waris R. Student or situation? Personality and classroom context as predictors of attitudes about business school cheating. Soc Psychol Educ 2011; 14(2): 261-82.
  41. Komarraju M, Karau S, Schmeck R. Role of the big five personality traits in predicting college student’s academic motivation and achievement. Learn Individ Differ 2009; 19: 47-52.
  42. Wilcox P, Sullivan CJ, Jones S, Van Gelder J-L. Personality and opportunity: An integrated approach to offending and victimization. Crim Justice Behav 2014; 41(7): 880-901.
Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 25, Issue 3
May and June 2023
Pages 161-167

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics