SOME CORRELATES OF HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL AMONG MULTICULTURAL INDIVIDUALS

The relationship of locus of control to depression, anxiety, hostility , and physical health was assessed in a sample of multicultural colleg e students (N=162). Powerful Others Health Locus of Control was correl ated with depression, anxiety, hostility, and recent physical symptoms while Chance Health Locus of Control (CHLC) was correlated with all o f the above as well as chronic physical symptoms and major health prob lems. When controlling for a variety of health risk factors (viz., age , sex, body mass, exercise, smoking, salt, alcohol, and caffeine), onl y CHLC remained significant in the physical health models. Results sup port the cognitive model of mental health which emphasize the importan ce of adaptive beliefs. Specifically, they suggest that issues about c ontrol are related to negative affect and indicate that the often-cite d relationship of an external locus of control to depression and anxie ty also holds for hostility. The findings do not, however, support the view that anxiety and depression are associated with different types of external locus of control but rather suggest a unified set of locus of control beliefs underlying the three types of negative affect. In addition, evidence is provided for the external validity of the Multid imensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales with respect to menta l health. Further, the results indicate that belief about one's health may play a significant role in one's physical health and that the hea lth behavior model of the relationship between locus of control and ph ysical health is insufficient to explain the relationship. As the Chan ce and Powerful Others MHLC scales were not related to health habits i n this sample but were related to mental health (viz., depression, anx iety, and hostility), locus of control beliefs may be related to physi cal health via their relationship with mental health.