Health perception, emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic symptoms in university students

The aim of this study was to confirm the relationship between emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic symptoms, explore the relationship between these variables and health perception, and compare two samples of students, belonging to a public or private university. A total of 365 students belonged to the former and 141 to the latter. The study was ex post facto. It was found that 25.7% of the students reported a medium or high symptom severity; a strong and significant correlation between emotional exhaustion and symptoms (rs = .505 in the whole sample); and a negative and significant correlation between these variables and health perception. The only significant difference found between the public and private universities was with respect to psychosomatic symptoms. The limitations of this study and the implications of the results found in regards to academic achievement and the training of future psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)