Examination of mental well-being levels of individuals who are studying at university and who are receiving compulsory physical education according to different variables

The aim of this research is to investigate the mental well-being levels of individuals who are educated in university preparatory classes according to different variables. In the research, a descriptive screening model has been used.

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Examination of mental well-being levels of individuals who are studying at university and who are receiving compulsory physical education according to different variables

Ünal Türkçapar 1 , Yavuz Yasul 2

1 Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University School of Physical Education and Sports, Kyrgyzstan -Kahramanmaraş Sütçü Imam University School of Physical Education and Sport, Turkey, 2 Ondokuz Mayis University Vocational High School of Bafra, Samsun, Turkey

turkcaparunal@hotmail.com 1 , yavuzyasul@gmail.com 2

Abstract The aim of this research is to investigate the mental well-being levels of individuals who are educated in university preparatory classes according to different variables In the research, a descriptive screening model has been used The study group consists of male and female participants in preparatory classes at Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University in the

2019-2020 academic year To evaluate the Mental Well-Being level, "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher and the data of the research, "Mental WellBeing Scale", a scale -original name being "Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale" -developed by Tennant and his fellows (2007) adapted to Turkish by Keldal (2015) was used Independent Samples T Test for frequency distributions, normality analyses and binary group comparisons, and one way ANOVA test for more than two group comparisons were conducted to provide descriptive information about the participants As a result, there has been no significant difference in the answers given to questions such as gender, age and division variables, number of close friends, who help you the most when you encounter a problem, which sport branch you are engaged in, who encouraged you to exercise, how long you spend on your daily workouts, and specify some

of your reasons to exercise However, it has been determined that there is a meaningful difference

in the answers given to the question of how long you have been playing this sport

Keywords mental well-being, preparatory class, education

Introduction

Mental well-being is a term that dates back to Aristotle, the student of Socrates from 4th century B.C, and which discusses increasing the experiences that gives happiness, decreasing the experiences that gives sadness, covering all the times satisfied (Şahin, 2013)

Mental well-being provides information about how the individual perceives himself or herself and the characteristics of his or her life (Akt: Peref et al., 2013) Ryff (1989) states that mental well-being also includes autonomy, establishing positive bonds with other individuals, self-acceptance, environmental control, life purpose and individual development According to Diener, mental well-being is expressed as a personal evaluation related to the satisfaction that

the person receives from life and the positive and negative feelings in the individual This evaluation process covers the person's reactions to different cases, his / her emotional state, his / her ideas about satisfaction from life, his / her friendships in his / her work environment, his / her satisfaction from different life areas (Koyuncu, 2015) According to another definition, mental well-being refers to the person's experience and gains as a result of negative or positive feelings in spite of the results he has made With the emergence of Positive Psychology, the current psychological strength of individuals has been taken into account and the strengths of the individual's nature, instead of the weaknesses, have been examined (Şahin, 2013) This has been an important factor in the emergence and study of the concept of mental well-being

Positive feelings' being more intense than negative feelings in a person's life indicates that mental well-being is better in the person's life; and it has been indicated that negative and positive feelings in the person's life are relevant with each other, yet still different and free structures (Malkoç, 2011) Mental well is primarily unique to the person and takes place in the person's life Besides, not the absence of negative factors, it also covers the positive measurements and mental well-being does not comprise a short evaluation of a life influence field, it covers a basic evaluation of the whole life in every aspect (Gündoğdu and Yavuzer, 2012)

The concept of well-being is seen in the literature as the definition of general mental health (Diener et al., 1998) Rather than describing states without pathology as well-being, positive psychology is based on operative functions, in other words, its positive aspects (Ryan and Deci, 2001, Myers and Diener, 1995) In fact, if we look at the researches in this aspect, it can be observed that research in the aspect of positive psychology is more limited (Ryff and Singer, 1996; Akın, 2013)

The concept of being good comes across as a concept that includes positive mental health, general happiness and life satisfaction (Dursun, 2012) Mental well-being can be described as a roof concept that covers all these well-being assessments

Mental well-being is regarded as individual's current satisfaction of emotional, cognitive, behavioral and environmental state, the feeling of prosperity and in this context, not having a mental confusion (Sawyer et al., 2001)

One of the elements of mental well-being is the state of being happy Because mental well-being is measured by the psychological and sociological activities of individuals based on the feelings of satisfaction and taste of life Activities that add positive emotions to people cause them to enjoy life and be happy In this context, sport has an important place Because people reach both physical and mental satisfaction and also reduce stress levels by doing exercises This makes them happy and be pleased with life (Şenduran, 2008)

Since people have to have a strong psychological structure in dealing with the negative situations they face, it is necessary to investigate the concept of mental well-being in more detail (Önder and Gülay, 2008)

Sports have a very important place in terms of social activities and it also has many benefits We can refer to these benefits as physiological, psychological and social benefits It has been found out that sports have positive contributions to developing school success as well

as the individual's self-esteem, self-confidence, healthy communication, socialization and sense

of belonging (Balkaya, 2005) Exercises are very important in terms of protecting both the physiological and psychological health of people All these have a positive effect on social peace (Muratlı, 1997)

People who participate in sports activities show social, psychological and mental development The most important thing that will benefit the person at the point of mental well-being is to get support from outside the family, which is one of the most important elements

that provides this benefit at this point in sports activities Sport is a very important area where individuals communicate with a large number of people and develop different bonds Sport also prevents the person from being introverted Extroverted adolescents also receive rewards for being active in this matter by engaging in many physical activities thanks to sports, increasing their level of mental well-being At the same time, since introverted adolescents experience negative emotions, while extroverted adolescents experience positive emotions, extroverted adolescents are quite advanced in terms of mental well-being (Gün, 2006)

The aim of this study is to determine the mental well-being levels of the preparatory class students who study at the university and take compulsory physical education courses according to different variables

Research Design

The research is descriptive and in this research the mental well-being levels of all preparatory students who studied at the University and took compulsory physical education and sports courses has been examined

The research is in the screening model Screening models are research approaches made

on a selected sample group from the universe that includes large groups, aiming to examine a situation that exists in the past or in the present as it exists The event, individual or object that

is the subject of research, is tried to be defined in its own conditions and as it exists (Karasar, 1994)

Research Group

The study group of this search consists of 67 male and 121 female participants in preparatory classes of all departments at Kyrgyzstan Turkey Manas University in the

2019-2020 academic year

Data Collection Tools

The “Personal Information Form” prepared by the researcher has been used to determine the demographic characteristics of the preparatory class students participating in the study This form consists of elements of gender, age, department and the number of close friends, along with the questions "Who helps you the most when you face with a problem? Which branches

of sports are you occupied in? How long have you been occupied with this sport? Who encouraged you to this sport? How much time do you spare time for this sport? What are your reasons to exercise?" etc

To evaluate the mental well-being levels of individuals, "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher and the data of the research, "Mental WellBeing Scale", a scale -original name being "Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale"-developed by Tennant and his fellows (2007) and adapted to Turkish by Keldal (2015) was used The Mental Well-Being Scale consists of 14 positive substances and has an answer key of 5 Likert type From the scale, the lowest score that can be taken is 14, and the highest is 70 High scores on the scale indicate high mental (psychological) well-being To measure the reliability of the scale, Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient and compound reliability have been examined

As a result of the explanatory factor analysis, it has been observed that the scale explained a large part of the total variance When compared with the original form of the scale and the adaptation of the scale to Turkey samples (Cronbach Alpha =.92), validity and reliability values have been seen to be high

Analysis of the data

Frequency distributions have been made to provide descriptive information about the individuals involved in the study Normality analyses have been performed to determine whether the data obtained showed a normal distribution Independent Samples T Test has been used for binary group comparisons and One Way Anova test was used for group comparisons

of more than two

The results

Table 1 Analysis results by gender variable of the research group

Gender N Ranks Mean SD t* p Male 67 56.4925 7.25796

1.162 247 Female 121 55.1901 7.41767

p>0,05; * Independent sample t test

In Table 1, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the gender variable of the research group

Table 2 Analysis results by age variable of the research group

Age N Mean Ranks SD F* p

17 71 54.9437 7.12919

18 98 56.2449 7.62262 669 513

19 19 55.2632 7.01460

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 2, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages compared to the age variable of the research group

Table 3 Analysis results by the research group's number of close friends (C.F) variable

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 3, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the question of the number of close friends of the research group

Table 4 Analysis results by department variable of research group

Department N Mean Ranks SD F* p

The Number of

C.F N Mean Ranks SD F* p

1-3 95 54.9255 7.16058 1.838 .177 4-6 93 56.3871 7.57862

Translation-

Interpreting Studies 30 55.4333 8.52050

International

Relations 12 52.9167 7.82140

Preparatory 10 56.5000 11.24722

Accounting 28 55.7143 6.15754

Russian Literature 13 56.1538 5.72780

Chinese Literature 8 58.6250 4.98390 1.409 180 Sociology 11 52.0909 5.28118

Office Management 17 54.8235 6.70108

Tourism 19 58.8947 6.57347

Gastronomy 14 58.6429 5.58304

Sport 26 53.6923 8.28381

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 4, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the department variable of the research group

Table 5 Analysis results of the research group based on the variable time devoted to

your daily training Duration of

Daily Trn N Mean Ranks SD F* p

1 Hour 136 55.3088 7.45904

2 Hours 41 56.0732 7.04056 959 385

3 Hours 11 58.3636 7.44678

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 5, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the daily time allocated for training variable of the research group

Table 6 Analysis results by the research group's variable of "Who encouraged you to

exercise?"

Encouragement N Mean Ranks SD F* p

Family 52 56.5577 6.85255

Teacher 43 54.0930 7.83099

1.116 334 Friend 83 55.6747 7.35528

Relative 10 57.5000 7.91974

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 6, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages when looking at the answers to the question of "Who encouraged you to exercise?" asked by the research group

Table 7 Analysis results of the research group on the question "Who helped you when

you encountered a problem?"

WHY** N Mean Ranks SD F* p

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova, ** Who helped you

In Table 7, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the question of "Who helped you the most when you needed help?"

Table 8 Analysis results of research group's exercising Reason of Exercising N Ranks Mean SD F* p For Being Healthy 151 55.5166 7.44657

Because I love the competition 6 58.3333 4.45720

.289 834 Because my bodybuild is fit 27 55.7407 6.68864

Because I want to be a professional 4 56.2500 13.22561

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 8, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the question of "What are the reasons for you to exercise?" Table 9 Analysis results of the research group to the question of "Which branch of

sports are you engaged in?"

Which branch

of sports are

you engaged

in?

N Mean Ranks SD F* p

Basketball 38 55.9737 6.42414

Football 37 56.4324 7.65775

Swimming 21 55.0000 7.60263 1.795 132 Volleyball 37 57.7027 6.38951

Other 55 53.7818 8.05695

p>0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 9, there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the question "Which branch of sports are you engaged in?" Table 10 Analysis results of the research group to the variable of "How long have you

been engaged in this sport?"

How long have you been

engaged in this sport? N Ranks Mean SD F* p LSD

1-6a 91 54.2637 6.69799

7-12b 24 58.9167 7.31239

13-18c 11 55.4545 7.27136

19-24d 11 60.3636 6.36039 2.270 031 d>b,a,f 25-35e 20 55.8000 7.21548 b>f

36-48f 10 53.2000 8.48266

Family 96 54.8438 8.28992

Mother 37 56.2162 5.31839

1.000 334 Father 42 57.0952 6.59937

Relative 13 55.3846 7.39976

49-59g 10 58.5000 10.35213

60+j 11 54.9091 7.25885

p<0,05; *One-Way Anova

In Table 10, among the answers of the research group to the question "How long have you been engaged in this sport?" is a significant difference in mental well-being score averages This difference has concluded that students who have been engaged in sports for 19 to 24 months have had better mental well-being than those who have been engaged for 1-6, 7-12, 36-48 months Those who have been engaged in for 7-12 months were likely to have better mental well-being than those who have been engaged for 36-48 months

Discussion and conclusion

The research has been tried to be evaluated according to the variables taken to be evaluated in the light of literature information

It has been concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the gender variable of the research group

When the literature is examined, according to the study conducted by Tennant et al (2007), it has been found that the levels of mental well-being of male participants were better compared to the levels of mental well-being of female participants Again, in their study, Haring

et al (1984) concluded that men were more advanced than women in terms of mental well-being, while Ryff et al (1989) concluded that women are in a better state than men These results are not in line with our study

It has been concluded that there has been no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the gender variable of the research group Participation

in sports has been found to be a factor that positively influences individuals ' social skills, emotional skills, cognitive powers and relationship ties (Vilhjalmsson and Thorlindsson, 1992) According to their study findings of Biddle et al (2000), it has been stated that adolescents who exercise have a higher level of mental well-being than adolescents who do not exercise When

we look at the underlying reasons, it is observed that self-confidence, confidence in abilities, support from the social environment and feelings of appreciation are more likely in adolescents who exercise than in those who do not, and these factors increase mental well-being levels (Biddle, Fox and Boutcher, 2000) In the light of these findings in the literature, it supports the results of the study group individuals who took physical education courses and were intertwined with sports and the results are parallel to our study

It has been concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given by the research group to the question of number of close friends In view of the basic instinct and structure of human existence, meeting the needs and wishes of being social, receiving social support and acceptance helps him to elevate the social and emotional states that contribute to the psychological development process It is also known that factors such as family, teacher and coach are of less importance

to adolescents than peers Therefore, adolescents who are accepted, cared for, and received social support by their peers are considered to be more important factors in their psychological development

It has been concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the division variable of the research group When the literature is examined, it is noted that healthy physical movement positively affects mental health and quality of life (Ekkekakis and Backhouse, 2014) It is emphasized that increased endorphins with physical activity and sports bring relaxation and calm, thus reducing stress

hormones (Allen and Coen, 1987) It has been concluded that the activity and exercise is more effective than the department variable, and in Er's study (2010), as a result of a study conducted with 38 exercising and 38 non-exercising participants, it has been concluded that participation

to sport activities can affect psychological, social, cultural development and academic success

in a positive way, along with physical development It can be interpreted that there is no difference between sports branches and that sports activities are more important than sports branches and that this awareness is widespread

It has been concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the daily training time question of the research group Understanding the relationship between exercise, sport, and mental well-being

is very important given the role of this lifestyle behavior in combating diseases and improving quality of life (Biddle, Fox and Boutcher, 2000) in engaging in health-beneficial physical activity In the literature, researchers found that 80% of athletes who were overloaded with training showed clinically aggressive mode, anger and depressive attitudes (Armstrong and VanHeest, 2002) It is thought that overloading will cause physical disability, as well as an effect on mental well-being along with the deterioration of one's body integrity It is known that the state of sports physiologically regulates the cardiovascular system and thus the brain is able

to meet the need for more oxygen along with blood flow (Greist and Jefferson, 1992), and it is predicted that this will allow the brain more to function

When looked at the answers given by the research group to the problem of "Who encouraged you to exercise?", it is concluded that there is no statistically significant difference

in mental well-being score averages Although no direct effect status has been proven in studies

in this area, it has been found that physiologically healthy and external appearance are related

to mental well-being (Feingold, 1982) Along with this, sport is also very important Because doing sports gives the person who does sports the opportunity to experience himself, compare himself with his peers and compete in a positive environment All these points also advance positive self-esteem, personality perception, and being strong in the mental sense (Malina, 1996; Weiss, 1993)

It has been concluded that there was no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages according to the answers given to the question "Who helped you the most when you needed help?" Hence, in Er's study (2010), as a result of a study conducted with 38 exercising and 38 non-exercising participants, it has been concluded that participation

to sport activities can affect psychological, social, cultural development and academic success

in a positive way, along with physical development By increasing the number of individuals who regularly exercise, this situation is of great importance in creating an active life style in terms of physical activity and identifying psychological factors determinant in exercises, and

in this way, it can be interpreted that sport is quite effective in psychological and social development

According to the answers given to the question "What are the reasons for you to exercise?", it was concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages As a matter of fact, Ryff and Singer (2008)stated that mental well-well-being

is important for people to manage their relationships, to perceive themselves, because it affects people's entire lives In the light of this information, it is of great importance to increase the number of individuals who exercise regularly, to create a physically active lifestyle and to determine the psychological factors that are effective in exercise Understanding the relationship between exercise, sport, and mental well-being is very important given the role of this lifestyle behavior in combating diseases and improving quality of life (Biddle, Fox and Boutcher, 2000) in engaging in health-beneficial physical activity

It is known that the state of sports physiologically regulates the cardiovascular system and thus the brain is able to meet the need for more oxygen along with blood flow (Greist and Jefferson, 1992), and it is predicted that this will allow the brain to fulfil more functions Physiologically, circulatory health affects the endorphin hormone, which directly affects a person's mental well-being level, by delivering it to the brain more comfortably (Bodin and Martinsen, 2004)

According to the answers given to the question of which sports branch of the research group is dealing with, it was concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in mental well-being score averages Students who are interested in any sport first and foremost strive to acquire a life discipline and learn to live their lives more regularly and programmed They fulfil their development duties It is also emphasized that sports give positive energy and increase enjoyment (Reed and Ones, 2006) In a situation where emotions are balanced and regulated, it is possible to evaluate the level of positivity unaffected in the context of thought-emotion difference The duration, intensity and content of sport and physical activity are of considerable importance in terms of influencing both emotion and thought (Barthoomew and Linder, 1998) The activities of the students related to sports, the competitions they participate

in and the achievements they achieve help them to build their self-confidence on a strong case Instead of spending one's life in empty pursuits, it allows one to engage in activities that will improve one's quality of life There is a significant difference in mental well-being score averages between the research group's answers to the question "How long you have been dealing with this sport?" The difference was that students who exercised for 19 to 24 months had more mental well-being than those who did for 1-6, 7-12, 36-48 months According to the literature, when athletes' exercising hours are taken into consideration, it is stated that adolescants who exercise mid-level, which is 2 hours a day at most, have a better mental well-being than adolescants who exercise less than an hour or more than 3 hours Because the feeling

of deprivation on the individual caused by family, romantic and social relations due to devoting too much time to exercising leads to the decline of mental well-being In this case, it shows that excessive exercise does not actually have a beneficial effect on the person's mental state, but rather exhibits clinically depressed attitudes due to physical and psychological overload (Armstrong and Vanheest, 2002)

According to another similar study conducted by Cassilhas et al (2015), it has been noted that in the first, 10th and 20th weeks of the control group, its positive symptoms level increased, and in the first, 10th and 20th weeks of resistance and simultaneous exercise group, its positive symptoms level decreased It has been stated that in the first, 10th and 20th weeks

of the control group, the negative symptoms scale score has not changed, and in the first, 10th and 20th weeks of resistance and simultaneous exercise group, the negative symptoms scale has decreased significantly It is remarkable that in the first, 10th and 20th weeks of the control group, average depression scale score has significantly increased, and in the first, 10th and 20th weeks of resistance and simultaneous exercise group, depression scale score has significantly decreased While the difference between the pre-test and final test values of the students in the social activity group is not statistically significant, the difference between the pre-and post-test positivity measurements of the individuals in the control group is remarkable for the decrease

in the level of positivity In the literature, studies on the positive impact of sports, factors such

as goal orientation, control of emotions, leadership, social intelligence, increase in positive emotions, anxiety and stress are highlighted

It is known that it will benefit both psychological and physiological health as the quality

of life of the happy person will increase Within the frame of the results of the findings related

to mental well-being, it can be emphasized that increasing applicable routine physical activity