The Life Quality and Behavioral Stereotypes Concerning the Health of Students of Medical Professions

Abstract

The goal of research consists in the study of correlation between the self-assessment of the life quality and behavioral stereotypes concerning the health of students of medical professions in terms of the structural and functional approach. 652 students of both sexes took part in this study, the sample showed the equal gender and age representation. Within the context of the empirical part of the study, the "MOS SF-36" questionnaire was used for studying the self-assessment of the life quality, for studying the basic behavioral stereotypes concerning the health, the questionnaire of the behavioral self-assessment of Pozdeeva (2008) as supplemented by authors was used. Correlation of variables was determined with a view to the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. It was found that students assess their life quality within reference values; there was noted the high degree of implementation of behavioral attitudes concerning the health and psychohygiene; typically friends and teaching officers are referred to as behavioral influences while the variables quantitatively describing the life quality greatly correlate to indices characterizing the correlation with significant others, medical and physical activity of students. The data obtained during investigation allowed us to suppose that the structural and functional approach provides means for effective analysis of correlation between the life quality and the processes of students` behavior adjustment to the educational system of the medical university. In accordance with the results obtained, there is observed the significant functional dependence between the processes of implementation of behavioral attitudes concerning the health-preserving behavior, medical, physical activity and the life quality self-assessment. In addition, the revealed inclination of students to imitation of health-preserving behavioral elements is in good agreement with theoretical concepts of G. Tarde on imitating the behavior of significant others during the second insocialization, A. Bandura on "observation, imitation and identification" and is consistent with the principle of E. Thorndike concerning the choice of the most adaptive model of behavior in the new social environment.