International Journal of Adolescence and Youth

ISSN: 0267-3843 (Print) 2164-4527 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rady20

Student involvement, mental health and quality of

life of college students in a selected university in
Manila, Philippines

Jerome Visperas Cleofas

To cite this article: Jerome Visperas Cleofas (2020) Student involvement, mental health and
quality of life of college students in a selected university in Manila, Philippines, International Journal
of Adolescence and Youth, 25:1, 435-447, DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1670683

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1670683

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa Published online: 26 Sep 2019.

UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis
Group.

Submit your article to this journal Article views: 52603

View related articles View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 1 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rady20
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH
2020, VOL. 25, NO. 1, 435–447
https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1670683

Student involvement, mental health and quality of life of college

students in a selected university in Manila, Philippines
Jerome Visperas Cleofas
Behavioral Sciences Department, College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines; College of
Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, St. Paul University, Manila, Manila, Philippines

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

This study was conceived within the context of increasing incidence of Received 7 August 2019
mental health challenges observed among college adolescents in the Accepted 18 September 2019
Philippines. Being an important social institution, the school must be KEYWORDS
able to create a social environment in order to foster better mental Student involvement;
wellbeing and quality of life among its students. This research sought adolescent mental health;
to examine the relationship among student involvement, mental health quality of life; Filipino
and quality of life among college students in a Philippine university. This college students; school
study utilized a quantitative cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational quality of life
design. Survey was administered to 249 students in a private university.
Results suggest that involvement in school organizations was correlated
to depression levels, general positive affect and life satisfaction. Social
interactions with entities in school was also related with quality of life. All
subscales of mental health were associated with quality of life among the
student respondents.

Introduction
A report from World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that in the world, one in every four
individuals will suffer from mental health problems at some point in their lives and that
450 million people worldwide have a mental health problem (WHO, 2001). In 2015, the global
prevalence of common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders are estimated at
5.5% and 3.6%, respectively; suicide accounts for 1.5% of global deaths in the same year (WHO,
2017). WHO (2004) suggests that this widespread occurrence of mental health problems are often
untreated and can cause role performance impairment.
Mental health disorders produce a sizeable burden to its victims. Literature suggests that mental
illness can cause days out of work, loss of productivity, financial drain from treatment costs, family
and caregiver stress and loss of life (Bronsard et al., 2016; Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2011).
According to world mental health survey results, 50% of psychiatric disorders exists by age 14
(Sorel, 2010). Mental health problems, being developmental in nature and aetiology, are best
addressed through prevention measures during early age. Educational institutions, being the
students’ primary environment during their formal educational years, should establish systems,
wherein actual and potential mental health problems among the youth can be addressed. The link
between mental health of students, and academic engagement (Reis, Hoppe, & Schröder, 2015;
Roth, 2013), and school environment (Chen, Romero, & Karver, 2016).

CONTACT Jerome Visperas Cleofas jerome_cleofas@dlsu.edu.ph

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
436 J. V. CLEOFAS

Student involvement and mental health

During their later adolescent years, college students spend most of their time in schools and
frequently interact with peers, classmates and teachers. Their ability to socially integrate with the
entities in the academe influences the state of their mental health. Pachucki, Ozer, Barrat, and
Cattuto (2015) suggest that the structure interaction networks of adolescents influence the robust-
ness of depressive symptoms. Moreover, students who have low perceived quality of support were
more likely to experience mental health difficulties (Hefner & Eisenberg, 2009) The extent to which
students are involved with both curricular and extra-curricular activities is also indicative of their
psychological wellbeing and distress as seen in qualitative (Buckley & Lee, 2018) and quantitative
studies (Billingsley & Hurd, 2019; Lushington et al., 2015). Various social, developmental and
academic challenges offered by the school shape the minds of these late adolescents as they
strive towards the attainment of their respective degrees and better life conditions during early
adulthood.

Student involvement, mental health and quality of life of students

There are a number of studies associating student involvement and achievement with mental
health and vice versa, and have documented the positive effects of social and emotional learning
programming on students of diverse backgrounds. Improved social and emotional behaviours
among students can have a strong impact on success in school and ultimately in life (Greenberg
et al., 2003).
Through a longitudinal study, Fleming et al. (2005) provided strong empirical evidence that
interventions that strengthen students’ social, emotional, and decision-making skills also positively
impact their academic achievement. Students with frequent feelings of internalized distress such as
sadness, anxiety, depression) show poor academic functioning and those with externalized distress
such as anger, frustration, and fear exhibit school difficulties (Roeser, Eccles, & Strobel, 1998).
Life satisfaction was found to have a bidirectional relationship with student engagement in
students (Lewis, Huebner, Malone, & Valois, 2011). Meade and Dowswell (2016) in through their
longitudinal study suggested that health-related quality of life of adolescents changes over
time, and is influenced by peer relationships. Friendship quality and student engagement were
found to be linked with student quality of life in a Malaysian cohort of students (Thien & Razak,
2013).
A cross-sectional survey done with secondary students revealed that psychological health and
mental health needs were predictors to life impact (Lauder et al., 2010). Another study suggests
that the severity of the mental illness symptoms was a predictor of health-related quality of life
(Dey, Mohler-Kuo, & Landolt, 2012).

The state of mental health among college students in the Philippines

The social and mental health aspects of student welfare in tertiary level institutions have gained
more attention from stakeholders of education in the Philippines, wherein college students are still
considered in the adolescent youth bracket. News reports have revealed college students involved
in violent acts, such as murder transpiring within (GMA News, 2012) and outside university
premises (Baclay, 2010; Pedrosa, 2013). Also, there is an increase in incidence of suicide committed
by college students through various forms such as jumping from a building (Manila Bulletin, 2013)
and shooting self with a gun (PHnews, 2013). Experts have reported that there is one suicide
referral made per day among the youth (Tomacruz, 2018). Commentaries from various journalistic
publications in the Philippines argue that these destructive exhibitions of social and mental
problems among the youth can be attributed to both social and academic factors, and that
addressing these problems requires a holistic approach coming from various social institutions
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 437

such as the family, the school and policy-making bodies (Cruz, 2013; Salaverria, 2013; Sauler, 2013;
Tomacruz, 2018).
In the context of the recently enacted Mental Health Act in the Philippines (RA 11,036), and the
dearth of literature situated in the Philippine context on the mental status among college students,
the present research aims to examine the relationship among student involvement, mental health
status and quality of life among college students in a selected university in the Philippines.

Materials and methods

Research design
The present study is a non-experimental, cross-sectional descriptive correlational survey research.
The research population is comprised of college students in a selected private university in Manila,
Philippines. Majority of college students in the Philippines belong to the latter adolescent bracket.
The total sample size was 249. The recruitment of student respondents assured that colleges of the
university are proportionately represented (College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, College
of Business and Management, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education). Exclusion
criteria was non-completed questionnaires.

Instrumentation
This survey research made use of four questionnaires, measuring the major variables in the study.

Demographic questionnaire
The first questionnaire inquires for the socio-demographic information of the respondents age in
years, sex, year level and degree programme.

Student involvement questionnaire

The second questionnaire inquires for the extent of student involvement, in terms of three
dimensions: involvement in campus activities, membership in university-based organizations,
and social interactions with school entities. The instrument is patterned from the Student
Involvement Questionnaire used by the Ohio State University. The campus activities and organiza-
tions included in the survey form are based on the extra-curricular programmes of the school.
Involvement in school activities is measured by providing a list of common extra-curricular activities
that can be done in the university and requiring the respondent to indicate if they engaged in the
said activity given a certain parameter. Involvement in campus organizations is measured using the
list of the official university organizations. Respondents are instructed to check the tick the box
beside the organization which they are members of. Social interactions with school entities is
measured using a list of the various entities differentiated by their role/job title in the school
(faculty, dean, janitorial staff, etc.), and indicating the number of times they interact with them in
a weekly basis using a 4-point likert scale. The Cronbach alpha score of the modified instrument
is 0.81.

Mental health inventory

The third research instrument will measure the students’ health status using the mental health
inventory (MHI-38) by the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network
(AMHOCN). MHI-38 is composed of 38 questions which require an answer from five to six-point
scale. The MHI measures six subscales which can be grouped into two major scales: psychological
distress, which includes anxiety, depression and loss of emotional/behavioural control, and psy-
chological wellbeing, which includes general positive affect, emotional ties and life satisfaction. The
Cronbach alpha score of this tool is 0.93.
438 J. V. CLEOFAS

Youth quality of life-short form

The fourth questionnaire will measure the quality of life of the students using the youth quality of
life instrument-short form (YQOL-SF) version 2.0 by Patrick and Edwards (2013) of the Seattle
Quality of Life Group. YQOL-SF is composed of 15 statements, which must be answered by the
participants by encircling the number of their self-rating in a ten-point scale with one verbally
interpreted as ‘not at all’ and 10 verbally interpreted as ‘very much’; the tool has a Cronbach alpha
score that exceeds 0.80.

Validation process
For the first and second questionnaire, the researcher asked the assistance of the Vice President for
Student Services, student affairs officer and a psychologist to review the instruments for content validity.

Data gathering procedure

The researcher requested for the permission to conduct the study in the university through formal
letters addressed to the Vice President for Academic Services, the Research Director and Deans of
the respective colleges.

Ethical considerations
For this study, the risks posed to the human subjects are minimal, which includes disrupting class hours
and minor psychological distress due to self-assessment. To safeguard the respondents’ basic rights,
the right to self-determination was observed by providing complete information about the study prior
to securing informed consent to participate in the study. Also, proper safekeeping of the documents
was implemented to respect the participant’s right to confidentiality. The protocol of the study was
submitted to and approved by the St. Paul University Manila Institutional Ethics Review Committee.

Data collection
A list of schedules of the different classes was formally requested from the school registrar as
a guide where to find a specific section. Upon reaching a viable class, the researcher respectfully
asked permission from the faculty handling the block to conduct the data gathering. Once allowed,
the researcher was provided a 5-min explanation to the class about the current research project.
The students who agreed to join the research were asked to sign an informed consent form and
then the questionnaires were administered. The length of time for the respondents to answer all
the instruments was within 10 to 15 min. As soon as the questionnaires have been collected and
verified, the data were organized, tabulated and encoded using Microsoft Excel™. The filled-out
instruments were kept in a file cabinet for future references.

Data analysis
Computations of the data were done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences ver 20. To test
for relationships, pearson R moment correlation was used. Yielded values from inferential analysis
were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

Results
Sociodemographic profile
Table 1 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to age. The
youngest respondent in the sample is 14 years old and the oldest is 22 years old. Majority of the
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 439

Table 1. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents

according to age.
Age (in years) Frequency Valid Percentage
14 1 4
16 16 6.4
17 44 17.3
18 67 26.5
19 71 28.5
20 35 14.
21 10 4.0
22 5 2.0
TOTAL 249* 100.00
*n = 251; Missing Values = 2

respondents are 19 years of age (f = 71), followed by 18-year-olds (f = 67). Most of the classes that
were sampled consisted of junior students.
Table 2 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to sex.
Majority of the respondents are females (f = 223) comprising 89.6% of the sample. There were 26
males (% = 10.4) who participated in the study. The sizeable gap between the females and the
males can be explained by the fact that the university of the study originally catered only for
female students. It only started to open its admission to males last 2004.
Table 3 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to degree
program wherein they are enrolled in. Majority of the respondents come from the Bachelor of
Science in Nursing program (f = 68); followed by Bachelor of Science in Psychology (f = 62), and;
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (f = 37). Other degrees that were included in the study
were Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Bachelor of Business Administration major in Marketing
Management and Administration, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Education.

Student involvement
Table 4 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to involvement
in selected campus activities. Among the given activities, volunteer activities garnered the highest
number of yea responses (f = 202), followed by school productions (f = 136); library use (f = 160);
attending masses (f = 112); use of recreational facilities (f = 109), and lastly sports activities (f = 80).

Table 2. Frequency and percentage distribution of

respondents according to sex.
Sex Frequency Percentage
Male 26 10.4
Female 223 89.6
TOTAL 249 100.00

Table 3. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents accord-

ing to degree programme enrolled.
Degree Program Frequency Percentage
Nursing 68 27.1
Psychology 62 24.7
Communication 37 14.7
Tourism 30 12.0
Marketing Management 20 8.0
Accountancy 14 5.6
Education 11 4.4
Business Administration 9 3.6
TOTAL 249 100
440 J. V. CLEOFAS

Table 4. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to

involvement in campus activities.
Campus Activity Frequency* Percentage
Volunteer Activities 202 81.1
School Productions 136 54.6
Library Use 160 64.3
Mass 112 45.0
Use of Recreational Facilities 109 43.8
Sports Activities 80 32.1
Multiple response question

Table 5 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to number
of campus activities wherein which they are involved. Results reveal that majority of the respon-
dents engaged themselves in at most three of the given activities (f = 73). The mean number of
activities the participants are engaged in is 3.6.
Table 6 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to involve-
ment in school organizations. Results reveal that majority of the respondents are members of
professional organizations (f = 92); followed by volunteer organizations (f = 83); hobby clubs (f =
63); religious organizations (f = 40); theatre organization (f = 32); musical groups (f = 28), school
publication (f = 26); student council (f = 24); varsity (f = 19) and residence hall organization (f = 15).
Table 7 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to number
of school organizations which they are a member of wherein which they are involved. Results
reveal that majority of the respondents engaged themselves in at least one school organization.
The mean for the number of memberships to organization among the participants is 1.7.
Table 8 shows the mean distribution of social entities in school with regards to the extent of the
respondent’s interactions with them. Results suggest that the students spend most of their
interactions with their peers and classmates, with a mean of 3.62, with a verbal interpretation of

Table 5. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to number

of campus activities involved.
Number of Campus Activities Involved Frequency* Percentage
0 6 2.4
1 15 6.0
2 57 22.9
3 73 29.3
4 52 20.9
5 33 13.3
6 13 5.2
TOTAL 249 100.0
Multiple response question; mean = 3.6

Table 6. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to

involvement in school organizations.
School Organization Frequency* Percentage
Professional Organization 92 36.9
Volunteer Organization 83 33.3
Hobbies 63 25.3
Religious Organization 40 16.1
Theater 32 12.9
Music Group/Chorale 28 11.2
School Publication 26 10.4
Student Council 24 9.6
Varsity 19 7.6
Residence Hall Organization 15 6
Multiple response question
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 441

Table 7. Frequency and percentage distribution of respondents according to number of mem-

berships to school organization.
Number of Memberships in School Organization Frequency* Percentage
0 66 26.5
1 77 30.9
2 43 17.3
3 32 12.9
4 10 4.0
5 10 4.0
6 4 1.6
7 3 1.2
8 4 1.6
TOTAL 249 100.0
Mean = 1.7

Table 8. Mean distribution of school social entities according to extent of

interactions.
School Social Entities Weighted Mean Verbal Interpretation
Peers/Classmates 3.62 Always
Faculty 2.56 Often
Dean/Chairperson 2.01 Sometimes
Org Mates 1.91 Sometimes
Library 1.64 Sometimes
Guidance Staff 1.88 Sometimes
College Secretary 2.18 Sometimes
Auxiliary Personnel 2.12 Sometimes
GRAND MEAN 2.24 Sometimes

‘always.’ The faculty is the second among the social entities that the respondents frequently
interact with at school, with a mean of 2.56 with a verbal interpretation of ‘often.’ This is followed
by college secretary, auxiliary personnel, dean and chairperson, org mates, guidance staff and
library staff, all with verbal interpretation of ‘sometimes.’ When all the entities are accounted for,
the result yields a grand mean of 2.24, with a verbal interpretation of ‘sometimes.’

Mental health status

Table 9 shows the mean distribution of mental health inventory subscales grouped according to
psychological distress scales and psychological wellbeing scales. Under psychological distress,
anxiety obtained the percentile mean score closest to the highest possible score (59.63) and
a mean score of 32.2; followed by depression (percentile = 54.78; mean score = 12.6), and loss of
behavioural and emotional control (percentile = 50.57; mean score = 26.8).
In terms of psychological wellbeing, emotional ties yielded the percentile mean score closest
to the highest possible score (72.50) and a mean score of 8.7; followed by life satisfaction
(percentile = 70.83; mean score = 4.25), and general positive affect (percentile 69.17; mean
score: 41.5).

Quality of life
Table 10 shows the mean score distribution of the items of the quality of life-short form questionnaire.
The results yielded a quality of life grand mean score of 7.1, with the item, ‘I look forward to the future,’
garnering the highest individual mean of 8.8; followed by, ‘I feel safe when I am home,’ (mean score = 8.7)
and ‘I am happy with the friends I have,’ as the third (mean score = 8.5). The item that garnered a lowest
mean score is ‘I am able to most of the things I want,’ (6.7).
442 J. V. CLEOFAS

Table 9. Mean score distribution of mental health inventory according to six subscales.
Subscale Score Mean Percentile** of Mean from Lowest
Subscale Range Score Score
Psychological Anxiety 9–54 32.2 59.63
Distress Depression 4–23 12.6 54.78
Loss of Behavioural/Emotional 9–53 26.8 50.57
Control
Psychological Well- General Positive Affect 10–60 41.5 69.17
being Emotional Ties 2–12 8.7 72.50
Life Satisfaction 1–6 4.25 70.83
** The higher the score, the higher the manifestation of condition represented by the subscale

Table 10. Mean score distribution per YQOL-SF item.

Items Mean Score Rank
I am able to most things as well as I want. 6.7 14
I feel good about myself. 7.2 9
I feel that I am important to others. 7.0 11
I am pleased with how I look. 6.9 12
I feel understood by my parents or guardians. 7.0 10
I feel am getting along with my parents or guardians. 7.3 8
I feel alone in my life (reverse coded). 3.4 (6.8) 13
I am happy with the friends I have. 8.5 3
I feel I can take part in the same activities as others my age. 7.9 5
People my age treat me with respect. 7.9 5
I feel my life is full of interesting things to do. 7.7 6
I look forward to the future. 8.8 1
I feel safe when I am at home. 8.7 2
I feel I am getting good education. 8.3 4
I am satisfied with the way my life is now. 7.6 7
Grand Mean 7.1
Possible score ranges from 0 to 10

Relationship among student involvement, mental health and quality of life

Table 11 shows the results of the inferential analysis on the correlation between student involve-
ment and the subscales of the mental health inventory that indicate psychological distress.
Depression scores were observed to be significantly correlated with number of memberships in
school organizations (r = −.163; p = .006). Higher depression scores were seen among respondents
with lesser memberships in organizations.
There were no significant correlations noted between anxiety and behavioural and emotional
control, and the variables of student involvement.
Table 12 shows the results of the inferential analysis on the correlation between student
involvement and the subscales of the mental health inventory that indicate psychological well-
being. General positive affect was significantly correlated with number of memberships in school
organizations (r = .144; p = .023) and extent of interaction with social entities (r = .234; p = .000).
Higher general positive affect scores were observed among those having more school organization
memberships and students who interacted more frequently with various school social entities.
There is no significant relationship between emotional ties and student involvement.
On the other hand, life satisfaction was significantly correlated with number of memberships in
school organizations (r = .226; p = 000) and extent of interactions with social entities (r = .277; p =
.000). Higher life satisfaction scores were observed among those having more school organization
memberships and students who interacted more frequently with various school social entities.
Table 13. shows the results of the inferential analysis on the correlation between student
involvement and quality of life. Quality of life was significantly correlated with extent of interaction
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 443

Table 11. Tests for relationship between student involvement and psychological distress.
Loss of Behavioural/Emotional
Student Involvement Variables Anxiety Depression Control
Involvement in School Activities .071 .020 .031
Correlation Coefficient .264 .757 .630
Sig. Do not reject null Do not reject null Do not reject null hypothesis
Decision hypothesis hypothesis
Verbal Interpretation
Involvement in School −.110 −.173 −.110
Organizations .082 .006 .083
Correlation Coefficient Do not reject null Reject null hypothesis Do not reject null hypothesis
Sig. hypothesis Weak negative
Decision relationship
Verbal Interpretation
Extent of Interaction with Social .089 −.124 −.053
Entities .137 .051 .403
Correlation Coefficient Do not reject null Do not reject null Do not reject null hypothesis
Sig. hypothesis hypothesis
Decision
Verbal Interpretation
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

Table 12. Tests for relationship between student involvement and psychological wellbeing.
Student Involvement Variables General Positive Affect Emotional Ties Life Satisfaction
Involvement in School Activities .068 .043 −.073
Correlation Coefficient .282 .499 .248
Sig. Do not reject null Do not reject null Do not reject null
Decision hypothesis hypothesis hypothesis
Verbal Interpretation
Involvement in School Organizations .144 .077 .226
Correlation Coefficient .023 .227 .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis Do not reject null Reject null hypothesis
Decision Weak positive hypothesis Weak positive
Verbal Interpretation relationship relationship
Extent of Interaction with Social .234 .100 .277
Entities .000 .114 .000
Correlation Coefficient Reject null hypothesis Do not reject null Reject null hypothesis
Sig. Weak positive hypothesis Weak positive
Decision relationship relationship
Verbal Interpretation
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

with school social entities (r = .183; p = .004). Higher quality of life was observed among students
who interacted more frequently with social entities in school. Involvement in school activities and
school organizations were not significantly correlated with quality of life.
Table 14 shows the results of the inferential analysis on the correlation between mental health
inventory subscales and quality of life. Quality of life was significantly correlated with all subscales
of mental health: anxiety (r = −.224; p = .000); depression (r = −.320; .000); loss of behavioural/
emotional control (r = −.408; p = .000); general positive affect (r = .514; p = .000); emotional ties (r =
.380; p = .000), and; life satisfaction (r = .378; p = .000). Higher quality of life scores were observed
among respondents who garnered lower scores in anxiety, depression and behavioural control
subscales, and higher affect, emotional ties and life satisfaction subscales.
444 J. V. CLEOFAS

Table 13. Tests for relationship between student involvement and quality of life.
Student Involvement Variables Quality of Life
Involvement in School Activities .039
Correlation Coefficient .544
Sig. Do not reject null hypothesis
Decision
Verbal Interpretation
Involvement in School Organizations .065
Correlation Coefficient .303
Sig. Do not reject null hypothesis
Decision
Verbal Interpretation
Extent of Interaction with Social Entities .183
Correlation Coefficient .004
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Weak positive relationship
Verbal Interpretation
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

Table 14. Tests for relationship between mental health status and quality of life.
Mental Health Inventory Subscales Quality of Life
Anxiety −.224
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Weak negative relationship
Verbal Interpretation
Depression −.320
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Moderate negative relationship
Verbal Interpretation
Loss of Behavioural/Emotional Control −.408
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Moderate negative relationship
Verbal Interpretation
General Positive Affect .514
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Moderate positive relationship
Verbal Interpretation
Emotional Ties .380
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Moderate positive relationship
Verbal Interpretation
Life Satisfaction .378
Correlation Coefficient .000
Sig. Reject null hypothesis
Decision Moderate positive relationship
Verbal Interpretation
*tested at 0.05 level of significance

Discussion and implications

This study attempted to test the relationship among student involvement, mental health status
and youth quality of life of college adolescent and youth in a selected university in the Philippines.
This study contributes to the body of research on student engagement and mental health among
late adolescents by confirming research findings elsewhere (Chen et al., 2016; Pachucki et al., 2015;
Reis et al., 2015; Roth, 2013), that even the context of college education in the Philippines, certain
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 445

indicators of psychological wellbeing and distress are linked with extent of engagement in co-
curricular and extra-curricular activities, and social integration in school.
The present research suggests that there is a significant relationship between involvement in
school organizations with depression. Students who are involved in more organizations demon-
strated lower depression scores. This confirms the finding of Wittrup and Hurd (2019) whose
research among underrepresented college students in the USA that engaging in extra-curricular
activities can negatively associated with symptoms of depression during a semester. A similar
finding was suggested by a study in a Norweigan vocational school that depression displayed
a weak to moderate relationship to school engagement and disengagement (Garvik, Idsoe, & Bru,
2013).
The present study suggests that higher general positive affect and life satisfaction was seen
among students involved in more school organizations and those who interacted more frequently
to school entities. These findings confirm the research of Sternoff, Csikzentmihayli, Schneider, and
Shernoff (2003) using flow theory, that suggests that affect or mood has a significant relationship
with student engagement. The relationship between life satisfaction and student engagement has
also been noted by Lewis, Huebner, Malone, and Valois (2011); more specifically on cognitive
engagement. More specifically on social interactions with other school entities, Babincak and
Bacova (2008) suggested that the student’s perceived interaction with the community and other
students have a positive influence on life satisfaction.
The present research also demonstrates that those who had lower levels of interactions with
social entities in school displayed lower scores in quality of life. This finding confirms the study of
Ghaedi, Tavoli, Bakhtiari, Melyani, and Sahragard (2010), who suggested that lower quality of life
among students, specifically on social and role functioning, were observed among those who
exhibited symptoms of social phobia, social interaction anxiety and fear of negative evaluation.
Lastly, this present study demonstrates that all measures of psychological wellbeing and distress
are significantly correlated with youth quality of life, positively and negatively, respectively. The
strong relationship between mental health and quality of life among students has also been
suggested by previous studies, such as that of Taylor, Bramoweth, Grieser, Tatum, and Roane
(2013) which observed depression, anxiety, stress together with quality of life among students with
sleeping problems; Mukhtar and Hashim (2010), which demonstrated the relationship between
depression, self-efficacy and quality of life among undergraduate students; Abdel-Khalek (2010),
which identified subjective well-being as a factor of quality of life among Muslim college students;
and Bhandari (2012), which pointed out that stress and relationship with adviser accounted for
a significant portion of variance especially in the mental component of quality of life.
In the light of the present findings, school administrators, specifically student affairs officers of
universities, should encourage more students to be involved in more co-curricular activities and
extra-curricular activities with the intent to improve the mental health and quality of life of these
late adolescents. Revisiting the structure and goals of the student organizations, and conceptualiz-
ing exciting activities must be considered in order to entice students join. Also, maintaining
meaningful peer interactions among students, and their connections with other entities in the
university must be ensured. Lastly, the impacts of these activities and interactions to the mental
health and quality of life of the students must be part of the evaluation of co-curricular and extra-
curricular programs.

Limitations
The findings must be gleaned in the light of its limitations. This study is a cross-sectional research,
and therefore the causality of the relationships that were tested cannot be ensured. Secondly, the
limited number of participants recruited from only one institution is a restraint to its
generalizability.
446 J. V. CLEOFAS

Acknowledgements
The researcher would like to thank his research mentor for this study, Dr Romeo Lee of the Behavioural Sciences
Department of De La Salle University, Philippines. Also, he would like to extend his gratitude to St. Paul University
Manila, where the student respondents were recruited.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor
Jerome Visperas Cleofas is a registered nurse and health social scientist, who is an Associate Professor at De La Salle
University and a Senior Research Associate at St. Paul University Manila, Philippines.

ORCID
Jerome Visperas Cleofas http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9203-0212

References
Abdel-Khalek, A. (2010). Quality of life, subjective well-being, and religiosity in Muslim college students. Quality of Life
Research, 1133–1143.
Babincak, P., & Bacova, V. (2008). Life satisfaction, beliefs and relations to oneself and others in university students.
Studia Psychologica, 50(1), 79–93.
Baclay, J. (2010, October 01). Nursing student stabbed to death in Iloilo City. ABS-CBN Iloilo. Retrieved from http://
www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/10/01/10/nursing-student-stabbed-death-iloilo-city
Bhandari, P. (2012). Stress and health related quality of life of nepalese students studying in south korea: A cross
sectional study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 10(1), 26. doi:10.1186/1477-7525-10-26
Billingsley, J. T., & Hurd, N. M. (2019). Discrimination, mental health and academic performance among under-
represented college students: The role of extracurricular activities at predominantly white institutions. Social
Psychology of Education, 22(2), 421–446.
Bronsard, G., Alessandrini, M., Fond, G., Loundou, A., Auquier, P., Tordjman, S., & Boyer, L. (2016). The prevalence of
mental disorders among children and adolescents in the child welfare system: A systematic review and
meta-analysis. Medicine, 95, 7.
Buckley, P., & Lee, P. (2018). The impact of extra-curricular activity on the student experience. Active Learning in Higher
Education, 146978741880898. doi:10.1177/1469787418808988
Bulletin, M. (2013, October 25). Another LRT suicide. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved fromhttp://ph.news.yahoo.com/
another-lrt-suicide-153844473.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, July 01). Burden of mental illness. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/basics/burden.htm
Chen, J. I., Romero, G. D., & Karver, M. S. (2016). The relationship of perceived campus culture to mental health
help-seeking intentions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(6), 677–684.
Cruz, N. (2013, March 17). UP scholar killed by some stupid red tape. Retrieved from Inquirer Opinion: http://opinion.
inquirer.net/49003/up-scholar-killed-by-some-stupid-red-tape
Dey, M., Landolt, M. A., & Mohler-Kuo, M. (2012). Health-related quality of life among children with mental disorders: A
systematic review. Quality of Life Research, 21(10), 1797–1814.
Fleming, C. B., Haggerty, K. P., Brown, E. C., Catalano, R. F., Harachi, T. W., Mazza, J. J., et al. (2005). Do social and
behavioral characteristics targeted by preventive interventions predict standardized test scores and grades. Journal
of School Health, 75, 342–349.
Garvik, M., Idsoe, T., & Bru, E. (2013). Depression and school engagement among norwegian upper secondary
vocational school students. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58(5). 592–608.doi:10.1080/
00313831.2013.798835
Ghaedi, G. H., Tavoli, A., Bakhtiari, M., Melyani, M., & Sahragard, M. (2010). Quality of life in college students with and
without social Phobia. Social Indicators Research, 97, 247–256.
Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O'Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. J. (2003). Enhancing
school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning.
American Psychologist, 58(6–7), 466–474.
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE AND YOUTH 447

Hefner, J., & Eisenberg, D. (2009). Social support and mental health among college students. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 79(4), 491–499.
Lauder, W., Burton, C., Roxburgh, C. M., Themessl-Huber, M., O’Neill, M., & Abubakari, A. (2010). Psychosocial health
and health-related quality of life in school pupils 11–18 years. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(13-14), 1821–1829.
Lewis, A. D., Huebner, E. S., Malone, P. S., & Valois, R. F. (2011). Life satisfaction and student engagement in
adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(3), 249–262. doi:10.1007/s10964-010-9517-6
Lushington, K., Wilson, A., Biggs, S., Dollman, J., Martin, J., & Kennedy, D. (2015). Culture, extracurricular activity, sleep
habits, and mental health: A comparison of senior high school Asian-Australian and Caucasian-Australian
adolescents. International Journal of Mental Health, 44(1–2), 139–157.
Meade, T., & Dowswell, E. (2016). Adolescents’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over time: A three year
longitudinal study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 14(1), 14.
Mukhtar, F., & Hashim, H. A. (2010). Relationship among depression, self-efficacy, and quality of life amoong students
in medical and allied health sciences. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 6(2), 51–58.
News, G. M. A. (2012, October 9). 6 FEU students charged with frustrated murder for stabbing UST student. GMA
Network. Retrieved from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/277411/news/metromanila/6-feu-students-
charged-with-frustrated-murder-for-stabbing-ust-student
Pachucki, M. C., Ozer, E. J., Barrat, A., & Cattuto, C. (2015). Mental health and social networks in early adolescence:
A dynamic study of objectively-measured social interaction behaviors. Social Science & Medicine, 125, 40–50.
Patrick, D. L., & Edwards, T. C. (2013, January 02). Youth quality of life instrument – short form (YQOL-SF) version 2.0.
Retrieved from Describing Your Life: http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/yqol-sf_version_2.0-_1-2-13.pdf
Pedrosa, M. (2013, August 05). UNO-Recoletos student stabbed dead. Sun Star Bacolod. Retrieved from http://www.
sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/local-news/2013/08/05/uno-recoletos-student-stabbed-dead-296178
PHnews. (2013, April 07). (Batangas) two college students committed suicide due to academic problems. PHnews.
Retrieved from http://phnews.net/batangas-two-college-students-committed-suicide-due-to-acamedic-problems/
Reis, D., Hoppe, A., & Schröder, A. (2015). Reciprocal relationships between resources, work and study engagement,
and mental health: Evidence for gain cycles. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(1), 59–75.
Roeser, R. W., Eccles, J. S., & Strobel, K. R. (1998). Linking the study of schooling and mental health: Selected issues and
empirical illustrations at the level of the individual. Educational Psychologist, 33, 153–176.
Roth, R. A., “High School Students in College-Level Classes: Associations Between Engagement, Achievement, and
Mental Health” (2013). Graduate eses and Dissertations.
Salaverria, L. B. (2013, March 18). Partylist rep eyes study now, pay later loan system for SUCs. Inquirer News. Retrieved
from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/375757/party-list-rep-eyes-study-now-pay-later-loan-system-for-sucs
Sauler, E. (2013, March 18). For Kristel Tejada, studying was a coping mechanism. Inquirer News. Retrieved from http://
newsinfo.inquirer.net/375303/for-kristel-tejada-studying-was-a-coping-mechanism
Sorel, E. (2010). Book review: The WHO world mental health surveys: Global perspectives on the epidemiology of
mental disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(3), 354–355.
Sternoff, D., Csikzentmihayli, M., Schneider, B., & Shernoff, E. S. (2003). Student engagement in high school classrooms
from the perspective of flow theory. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 158.
Taylor, D. J., Bramoweth, A. D., Grieser, E. A., Tatum, J. I., & Roane, B. M. (2013). Epidemiology of insomnia in college
students: Relationship with mental health, quality of life, and substance use difficulties. Behavior Therapy, 44, 339–
348.
Thien, L. M., & Razak, N. A. (2013). Academic coping, friendship quality, and student engagement associated with
student quality of school life: A partial least square analysis. Social Indicators Research, 112(3), 679–708.
Tomacruz, S. (2018). A cry for help: Mental illness, suicide cases rising among youth. Retrieved from https://www.
rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/211671-suicide-cases-mental-health-illness-youth-rising-philippines
Wittrup, A., & Hurd, N. (2019). Extracurricular involvement, homesickness, and depressive symptoms among under-
represented college students. Emerging Adulthood, 216769681984733. doi: 10.1177/2167696819847333.
World Health Organization. (2001). The World Health Report 2001: Mental health: New understanding, new hope.
Geneva: WHO: Mental Health.
World Health Organization. (2004, June 2). WHO world mental health surveys find mental disorders are widespread,
disabling and often go untreated. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/
news/notes/2004/np14/en/
World Health Organization. (2017). Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates (pp. 1–24).
Geneva: World Health Organization.