Life orientation among university students in the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Introduction: in the current university context, research and educational practice are not solely focused on students' academic performance. They also aim to understand students' expectations regarding university life and how these expectations influence their emotional well-being and, consequently, their mental health. This is crucial to help students successfully complete their professional careers.Objective: to describe the life orientation among students of a private university in the Peruvian Amazon.Methods: quantitative research, non-experimental design, and cross-sectional descriptive type. The sample consisted of 302 students from the professional careers of Psychology, Law, Administration, and Accounting, who were administered the Revised Life Orientation Test.Results: it was found that 75.2% of students have an optimistic life orientation, 12.3% have a disposition towards pessimism, 7.9% are pessimistic, while 4.6% are optimistic. Additionally, life orientation was found to be associated with some sociodemographic variables such as age and study shift (p<0,05).Conclusions: the majority of students at a private university in the Peruvian Amazon show a tendency towards optimism. This suggests that they consider the current events and circumstances of their lives are not entirely favorable for their future, but they maintain a hopeful and positive attitude in the face of adversity.