Healthy Behavior as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Optimism and Life Satisfaction in Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE: This study examines the indirect relationship between optimism and life satisfaction via healthy behavior among health sciences students. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional study involved 349 health sciences students, including 58% of women, ranging in age between 19 and 30 years (M = 22.15, SD = 1.83). Self-report questionnaires were used to measure dispositional optimism (the Life Orientation Test-Revised, LOT-R), life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS), and health behaviors (Health Behavior Inventory, HBI), with four subscales: healthy diet (HD), preventive behavior (PB), positive mental attitudes (PMA), and healthy practices (HP). In addition, a single mediation model (with the total HBI as mediator) was compared with a parallel mediation model (with four subscales of the HBI). Gender was controlled as a confounding variable. RESULTS: Women scored higher in the total HBI (p < 0.01), HD (p < 0.001) and PB (p < 0.01) than men, while men scored slightly higher in dispositional optimism (p < 0.01). General health behavior (total HBI) completely mediates the relationship between dispositional optimism and life satisfaction, R(2) = 0.32. In the parallel model, only PMA was determined as a mediator of the association between dispositional optimism and satisfaction with life, R(2) = 0.36. The single mediation model showed perfect fit (X(2)/df = 0.00, RMSEA = 0.00, SRMR = 0.00, CFI = 1.00, IFI = 1.00, NFI = 1.00), better than the parallel mediation model (X(2)/df = 2.353, p = 0.095, RMSEA = 0.062, SRMR = 0.020, CFI = 0.995, IFI = 995, NFI = 991). CONCLUSION: The interplay mechanism between personal resources and behavioral health-related habits may explain 32% of life satisfaction variance. The intervention focused on increasing optimistic expectancies and health behaviors should be implemented in universities to increase students’ well-being and prevent depression.