[Beijing college students' self-consciousness: its level, structure and relationship with mental health].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate Beijing college students' self-consciousness and its relationship with mental health.

METHODS

Convenient samples of 928 college students from five universities in Beijing were inquired and assessed with the self-consciousness scale and the Kessler 10 psychological distress scale. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

College students' scores of self-consciousness did not differ in sex, age, grade and major type. 83.5% of the participants had relatively low scores (10-24) of psychological distress, but those of the students of liberal arts were higher (P < 0.05). The measurement data of self-consciousness supported Mittal and Balasubramanian' s five-factor structure. Self-reflectiveness was positively correlated with depression (P < 0.05). Internal state awareness was negatively associated with both anxiety and depression (P < 0.05). Style consciousness was positively correlated with both of them (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Beijing college students' self-consciousness is relatively high and has a relatively complex structure. While self-reflectiveness and style consciousness have negative effects, internal state awareness is good for mental health.