Structural modeling pattern of relationships between goal orientation, hope, spiritual well-being and mental health of students

Introduction: With the emerging of positive psychology, the attention of psychologists shifted from mental illness towards the predictors of mental health and its promotion strategies. This study presents a model to explain students' mental health based on goal orientation, hope and spiritual well-being. Methods: The study sample included 374 patients (150 females and 224 males) with an age range of 18 to 50 years, average 24.97 and SD 6.27 that were selected via multistage sampling method among Hamadan Islamic Azad University and responded to goal orientation, hope, spiritual well-being and mental health questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS.16 and LISREL 8.5. Results: the results showed that there is significant correlation between goal orientation with hope and spiritual well-being, also between hope with spiritual well-being and mental health and spiritual well-being with mental health. The results of path way analysis showed that the designed model for explanation of mental health was fit with data (AGFI=0.98, RMSEA=0.00, NFI=0.98). In fitted model goal orientation have direct impact on hope and well-being, hope have direct impact on spiritual well-being and indirect impact on mental health finally well-being have direct impact on mental health. Conclusion: students' who are goal oriented have higher hope and hopeful students' have higher spiritual well-being as well as higher mental health.