STUDY-WORK SATISFACTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN OLDER UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS

In order to study the relationships between work satisfaction and ment al health in a group known to be at risk for psychological distress, u niversity students who were somewhat older than usual (n=568, average age 24 years) provided information by questionnaire about their satisf actions from study and paid work, and their level of psychological dis tress. The measure of study satisfaction was a modified fomi of Warr e t al.'s (1979) Job Satisfaction Scale, and had good reliability. Study satisfaction was lower for undergraduate than for postgraduate studen ts, due to lack of clearly defined identity, less supportive relations with fellow-students and teaching staff, and financial hardship. For all subjects the availability of teacher support predicted study satis faction, and study satisfaction had a major influence on the students' psychological well-being.