The Influence of Self-esteem and Personality on Perceived Health Status-focusing on Ugandan High School Students

Purpose: The research is a descriptive study to identify the correlations among perceived health status, self-esteem, and personality and to determine the influencing factors of perceived health status in high school students who live in Uganda. Methods: Data were collected using a questionnaire from February to May 2014. The participants were 300 students in three high schools in Uganda. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and stepwise regression analysis using SPSS 21.0. Results: The scale mean scores (4 scale) for perceived health status, self-esteem, extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie, the last four being the types of personality covered in the study, were $2.27{\pm}0.37$, $2.27{\pm}0.31$, $2.13{\pm}0.33$, $2.55{\pm}0.41$, $2.36{\pm}0.27$, and $2.20{\pm}0.34$, respectively. The variables that showed positive correlations with perceived health status were self-esteem and extraversion and the ones that showed negative correlations with perceived health status were neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie. Self-esteem, extraversion, and neuroticism were proved to be major influencing factors affecting perceived health status. Conclusion: These results may be used as supporting data when developing health education programs to improve the health of Ugandan adolescents.

자아존중감과 성격유형이 지각된 건강상태에 미치는 영향: 우간다 일부 지역 고등학생을 중심으로