Relationships between prosocial factors and college student health.

Objective This study examined relationships between prosocial factors including altruism, compassion, social connectedness, spirituality, and volunteerism and measures of health in college students. Participants: A total of N = 1,075 participants from four institutions across various regions of the U.S. were included.
Methods: Participants were sent email invitation via student listserv to participate in a survey of health and prosocial factors that was open for one month.
Results: Hierarchical linear regressions were completed to examine the influence of prosocial variables on perceptions of health and engagement in health behaviors. Social connectedness was a significant contributor to variance in all health measures, and the variables with the most variance explained were symptoms of depression (28.6%) and Health-Related Quality of Life (24.6%). Conclusions: Institutions should prioritize programing to enhance social connectedness and other prosocial behaviors because of the positive effect these factors can have on health and health behaviors.