Self-efficacy in health among university students: the role of social support and place

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to better understand the role of students’ living arrangements (on campus, off campus, with and without their parents) on their health self-efficacy.

Participants

A sample of undergraduate students (n = 216) were recruited by using word of mouth and visiting classrooms in a small Atlantic Canadian university.

Methods

Participants completed a self-report questionnaire measuring health and sleep self-efficacy. Analyses of variance and covariance were used to compare the living arrangements of the students.

Results

Differences between living arrangements were found. Students living on campus had higher health self-efficacy, particularly on the psychological well-being subscale, followed by those living off campus with their parents. Students living off campus without their parents had the lowest scores.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that health self-efficacy varies according to students’ living situations, thus illustrating the importance of keeping students’ living arrangements in mind when designing health and well-being interventions.

Keywords:

• Campus dwelling
• health self-efficacy
• living arrangements
• living with parents
• university student

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of Canada and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Cape Breton University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.