Relationships between health value, health locus of control and adolescent lifestyle behaviours: relevance for the psychiatric-mental health nurse

Abstract

The primary purposes ·of this correlational descriptive study was to (a) examine the relationships between health value, health locus of control, psychological situation and the lifestyle behaviours of adolescents and (b) to explore their relevance to the practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing. A nonrandom sample of 336 adolescents completed the Health Information Survey. Findings of the investigation indicated that although students placed high value on health and demonstrated awareness of the impact of lifestyle practices on health, they engaged in detrimental lifestyle behaviours. Females, students with part time jobs and those with poor academic grades reported significantly more hazardous behaviour. Adolescents with an internal health locus of control and a positive psychological situation engaged in behaviours that were facilitative of healthy living. Students with strong beliefs in chance as reinforcement for health demonstrated the most risky lifestyle practices. Implications for mental health nursing were examined and recommendations for further nursing research were made.