The impact of a sense of belonging on lethargy and career maturity

doi:10.4236/ojpm.2013.36053

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Vol.3, No.6, 393-401 (2013) Open Journal of Preventiv e Me dic ine

http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpm.2013.36053

The impact of a sense of belonging on lethargy and

career maturity

Fumihiro Omasu*, Yuiko Takahashi

Department of School Health, Graduate School of Education, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan;

*Corresponding Author: [email protected]

Received 11 July 2013; revised 8 August 2013; accepted 15 August 2013

bution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly

cited.

ABSTRACT

In this study, the authors treated a combination

of psychological apathy and decreased motiva-

tion as a tendency to lethargy, and implemented

a survey into the tendency to lethargy demon-

strated by students, in order to study the impact

of a sense of belonging in the four relationships

between the student and the people considered

most likely to be interacted with during univer-

sity life—those with family, friends at university,

friends outside university and boyfriend/girl-

friend. In addition, the authors implemented a

survey and study that included additional cate-

gories relating to career maturity. The study was

performed on 250 university students, using an

anonymous questionnaire that graded responses

using criteria to measure a sense of belonging,

psychological apathy characteristics, areas of

decreased motivation, and career maturity. The

subjects were classified by the school year to

which they belonged, their gender, and whether

or not they had a boyfriend/girlfriend, and con-

sideration was given to the rela tionship between

psychological apathy, decreased motivation, ca-

reer maturity and a sense of belonging. In terms

of gender difference in regard to each of the

criteria, partially, the study indicated that male

students score significantly higher than female

students in terms of a sense of belonging, fe-

males score significantly higher than males for

decreased motivation in regard to classes, and

males score significantly higher than females in

relation to career maturity. No significant dif-

ference in scores was noted between males and

females in relation to psychological apathy. The

impact of a sense of belonging on psychological

apathy, decreased motivation and career moti-

vation was seen in the fact that across all cate-

gories, those students with a good relationship

with friends at university had a suppr essed level

of decreased motivation in regard to university

by the portions given in this docume nt.

Keywords: Sense of Belonging; Psychological

Apathy; Decreased Motivation; Tendency to

Lethargy; Career Maturity

1. INTRODUCTION

School maladaptation caused by lethargy, decreased

motivation and disinterest among students has long been

seen as a problem. According to a study of university

students who either put their studies on hold or left uni-

versity, or who were repeating a year of school [1], a

large number of passive reasons were given for putting

on hold or leaving studies. These passive reasons include

a reduction or loss of motivation in regard to study, in-

sufficient credits, and student apathy, all of which make

up a significant proportion of responses. There is no need

to debate the importance of support on a mental level.

Furthermore, among students with experience of repeat-

ing a year, the most common reason given for the re-

peated year was “I cannot find the motivation to learn”,

while the most common reason given by students giving

reasons related to their poor health was “Irregular life-

style” followed by “Mental concerns and anxieties”,

demonstrating the need for mental support among uni-

versity students.

Currently, absenteeism is the major problem with

school adaptation in junior high schools throughout Ja-

pan. It has been indicated that a sense of belonging in

each type of relationship has a positive impact on pro-

moting mental health and school adaptation among jun-

ior high school students, and it is clear that a sense of

belonging has a significant impact on absenteeism [2].

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

394

For university students, results [2,3] have been published

showing that a sense of belonging has no relationship to

school adaptation, so that while the central problem of

school adaptation for junior high school students is ab-

senteeism, indicating an overall withdrawal from school,

the central problem of school adaptation for university

students tends to be student apathy, resulting in partial

withdrawal from school, and as such analyzing these in

the same study has been stated as insufficient. As stated

above, the fact that the central problem of school adapta-

tion for university students is student apathy can be as-

cribed to the particular situation in which Japan finds

itself. The current system by which Japanese students

move from school to university is increasingly dealing

with younger students, and becoming more institutional-

ized, and university students pass through this particular

system in order to enter university. As a result, as pointed

out by Shimoyama [4], the situation in which many

Japanese university students find themselves in their late

adolescence is a unique moratorium, which is qualita-

tively different to the classical situation of late adoles-

cence.

In this study, the authors implemented a survey into

the tendency to lethargy demonstrated by university stu-

dents, in order to study the impact of a sense of belong-

ing in the four relationships between the student and the

people considered most likely to be interacted with dur-

ing university life）—those with family, friends at univer-

sity, friends outside university and boyfriend/girlfriend.

In addition, it is believed that learning activities at uni-

versity equate to behavior that targets final career deci-

sions. For this reason, the authors assumed that there

must be a correlation between motivation in regard to

university life and attitude to career decisions, and

therefore added categories relating to career maturity,

with the objective of finding directions related to support

for students who demonstrate lethargy.

2. METHODS

The survey covered 250 university students (118 male

and 132 female). The average age of subjects was 20.4 ±

1.4 years (mean ± standard deviation). The survey was

implemented on all students during class hours, using an

anonymous questionnaire. In addition, it was distributed

and collected either directly or through acquaintances.

The criteria used for a sense of belonging were devised

by Ishimoto [2,3]. An overall sense of belonging com-

prised two factors, the “factor contributing to a sense of

intrinsic comfort”, which gives the sense that one can be

oneself, and the “factor contributing to a sense of one’s

own usefulness”, which gives the sense that one is

needed. The criteria for psychological apathy character-

istics and areas of decreased motivation were taken from

Shimoyama [5]. The criteria for areas of decreased mo-

tivation covered the three factors of “decreased motiva-

tion in regard to academic life”, “decreased motivation in

regard to classes” and “decreased motivation in regard to

university”. Career maturity was examined using the

criteria for career maturity [6] defined by the Japan Ca-

reers Guidance Association (Nihon Shinro Shido Kyo-

kai). This involved three criteria: “attitude of self-reali-

zation”, which expresses an awareness of aiming to real-

ize oneself via employment, “career planning”, which

expresses the extent to which the student is currently

engaged in practical activities with a view to future em-

ployment situations, and “career decisions”, which ex-

press the strength of decision-making in regard to the

type of employment hoped for in the future. Responses

were selected from five levels ranging from “Entirely

inapplicable (1 mark)” through to “Extremely applicable

(5 marks)”. The analysis was implemented based on

classification according to gender, and whether or not the

subject had a boyfriend/girlfriend. The gender difference

for each category was calculated as an average value for

each criteria, and the difference between average values

for males and females was compared using the Mann-

Whitney U-test, before its relationship to psychological

apathy, decreased motivation, career maturity and a sense

of belonging were subjected to multiple regression

analysis, with psychological apathy, decreased motiva-

tion and career maturity taken as objective variables, and

a sense of belonging as the explanatory variable.

3. RESULTS

3.1. Breakdown of Subjects

A total of 250 subjects were categorized according to

school year, gender and whether or not they had a girl-

friend/boyfriend (Table 1).

3.2. Gender Difference for Each Criterion

Tabl e 2 shows the average values and standard devia-

tion, as well as the results of comparison of average val-

ues between males and females, for a sense of belonging

in regard to relationships with family, friends at univer-

sity, friends outside university and boyfriend/girlfriend;

psychological apathy, decreased motivation in regard to

academic life, decreased motivation in regard to classes,

Table 1. Breakdown of subjects (no. of people).

Males Females

Has

boyfriend/

girlfriend

Does not have

boyfriend/

girlfriend

Has

boyfriend/

girlfriend

Does not have

boyfriend/

girlfriend

Total

42 76 66 66

118 132

250

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

395

Table 2. Average values, SD and comparison between males and females for each (a) criteria among the group who had a boy-

friend/girlfriend; (b) criterion among the group without a boyfriend/girlfriend.

(a)

Overall (SD)

n = 108

Males (SD)

n = 42

Females (SD)

n = 66 M/F comparison

A sense of belonging 3.94 (0.10) 3.65 (1.05) 4.13 (0.91) P < 0.01

A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.89 (0.99) 3.51 (1.05) 4.13 (0.88) P < 0.01

Family

A sense of intrinsic comfort 4.16 (0.98) 4.19 (0.86) 4.14 (1.05) N.S.

A sense of belonging 3.70 (0.86) 3.62 (0.92) 3.74 (0.81) N.S.

A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.66 (0.84) 3.56 (0.89) 3.73 (0.80) N.S.

Friends at university

A sense of intrinsic comfort 3.83 (0.90) 3.88 (0.99) 3.80 (0.85) N.S.

A sense of belonging 3.90 (0.82) 3.92 (0.88) 3.89 (0.78) N.S.

A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.90 (0.79) 3.88 (0.87) 3.91 (0.75) N.S. Friends outside university

A sense of intrinsic comfort 3.94 (0.92) 4.10 (0.93) 3.83 (0.90) N.S.

A sense of belonging 4.19 (0.95) 4.15 (0.89) 4.22 (0.99) N.S.

A sense of one’s own usefulness 4.16 (0.97) 4.14 (0.89) 4.17 (1.03) N.S.

Boyfriend/girlfriend

A sense of intrinsic comfort 4.32 (0.83) 4.19 (0.89) 4.41 (0.78) N.S.

Psychological apathy 2.91 (1.18) 2.93 (1.21) 2.89 (1.16) N.S.

Decreased motivation in regard to classes 3.00 (1.24) 3.18 (1.24) 2.88 (1.22) N.S.

Decreased motivation in regard to academic life 3.27 (1.09) 3.34 (1.16) 3.23 (1.05) N.S.

Decreased motivation in regard to university 2.42 (1.07) 2.34 (1.10) 2.47 (1.03) N.S.

Overall motivation 2.90 (1.21) 2.95 (1.25) 2.86 (1.14) N.S.

Self-realization 4.63 (0.64) 4.64 (0.69) 4.62 (0.60) N.S.

Career planning 3.56 (0.99) 3.48 (1.06) 3.62 (0.94) N.S.

Career decisions 4.06 (1.02) 3.83 (1.17) 4.21 (0.89) N.S.

Overall career 4.09 (0.99) 3.98 (1.10) 4.15 (0.92) N.S.

(b)

Overall (SD)

n = 142

Males (SD)

n = 76

Females (SD)

n = 66 M/F comparison

A sense of belonging 3.87 (1.01) 3.63 (1.08) 4.14 (0.84) P < 0.01

Family A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.81 (1.00) 3.57 (1.08) 4.09 (0.82) P < 0.01

A sense of intrinsic comfort 4.08 (1.01) 3.87 (1.08) 4.33 (0.87) P < 0.01

A sense of belonging 3.47 (0.91) 3.32 (0.91) 3.65 (0.89) P < 0.01

A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.42 (0.91) 3.27 (0.89) 3.59 (0.90) P < 0.01 Friends at university

A sense of intrinsic comfort 3.69 (0.90) 3.53 (0.94) 3.88 (0.81) P < 0.05

A sense of belonging 3.67 (0.92) 3.70 (0.88) 3.62 (0.97) N.S.

A sense of one’s own usefulness 3.62 (0.92) 3.67 (0.88) 3.56 (0.96) N.S.

Friends outside

university

A sense of intrinsic comfort 3.86 (0.92) 3.83 (0.87) 3.89 (0.98) N.S.

Psychological apathy 3.12 (1.19) 3.15 (1.19) 3.08 (1.19) N.S.

Decreased motivation in regard to classes 2.97 (1.36) 3.14 (1.40) 2.78 (1.28) P < 0.05

Decreased motivation in regard to academic life 3.34 (1.11) 3.37 (1.15) 3.31 (1.05) N.S.

Decreased motivation in regard to university 2.60 (1.09) 2.62 (1.10) 2.57 (1.09) N.S.

Overall motivation 2.97 (1.23) 3.04 (1.27) 2.89 (1.18) N.S.

Self-realization 4.61 (0.64) 4.55 (0.70) 4.68 (0.56) N.S.

Career planning 2.99 (1.10) 2.95 (1.16) 3.09 (1.03) N.S.

Career decisions 3.89 (1.04) 3.71 (1.11) 4.11 (0.91) P < 0.05

Overall career 3.84 (1.15) 3.74 (1.20) 3.96 (1.08) N.S.

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

396

decreased motivation in regard to university and de-

creased motivation overall, attitude in regard to self-re-

alization, career planning, career decisions and careers

overall.

 In the group who had a boyfriend/girlfriend, a sig-

nificant difference was noted between males and fe-

males in regard to a sense of belonging within the

family, and a sense of one’s own usefulness, which is

a sub-criteria to the sense of belonging (P < 0.01 in

both cases). In the group without a boyfriend/girl-

friend, a significant difference was noted between

males and females in regard to a sense of belonging

within the family, and both a sense of one’s own use-

fulness and a sense of intrinsic comfort within the

family, which are sub-criteria to the sense of belong-

ing (P < 0.01 in both cases), and in regard to a sense

of belonging among friends at university, and both a

sense of one’s own usefulness and a sense of intrinsic

comfort within the family, which are sub-criteria to

the sense of belonging (P < 0.01 for a sense of be-

longing and of one’s usefulness, and P < 0.05 for a

sense of intrinsic comfort), with males scoring higher

than females.

 No significant difference in scores was recorded in

regard to psychological apathy characteristics, in ei-

ther the group with a boyfriend/girlfriend or that

without. In regard to decreased motivation, no sig-

nificant difference in scores was recorded in the

group who had a boyfriend/girlfriend, but in the

group who did not have a boyfriend/girlfriend, a sig-

nificant difference was noted between males and fe-

males (P < 0.05) in decreased motivation in regard to

classes, with males scoring higher than females.

 The group without a boyfriend/girlfriend demon-

strated a significant difference in score between males

and females in regard to career decisions (P < 0.05),

with females scoring higher than males.

3.3. Relationship between Psychological

Apathy, Decreased Motivation, Career

Maturity and a Sense of Belonging

Table 3 shows the results of multiple regression analy-

sis to demonstrate how a sense of belonging affects psy-

chological apathy, decreased motivation and career ma-

turity.

 A multiple regression analysis was performed on the

group with a boyfriend/girlfriend, using psychologi-

cal apathy, decreased motivation in regard to classes,

decreased motivation in regard to academic life, de-

creased motivation in regard to university and de-

creased motivation overall, attitude in regard to

self-realization, career planning, career decisions and

careers overall as objective variables, and a sense of

belonging, a sense of one’s own usefulness and a

sense of intrinsic comfort in regard to family, friends

at university, friends outside university and boyfriend/

girlfriend as explanatory variables. None of the indi-

cators showed up as significant predictive indicators

of psychological apathy. In males, only a sense of

one’s own usefulness in regard to the boyfriend/girl-

friend was a significant negative predictive indicator

for decreased motivation in regard to classes (P <

0.05). In females, only a sense of one’s own useful-

ness in regard to friends outside university was a sig-

nificant positive predictive indicator for decreased

motivation in regard to academic life (P < 0.01). In

both males and females, a sense of belonging in re-

gard to friends at university was a significant negative

predictive indicator for decreased motivation in re-

gard to university (both P < 0.01). In addition, a sense

of one’s own usefulness in regard to friends at uni-

versity was a significant negative predictive indicator

for decreased motivation in regard to university (P <

0.05), while a sense of belonging in regard to friends

outside university was a significant negative predic-

tive indicator for decreased motivation in regard to

university (P < 0.01). In regard to motivation overall,

both a sense of belonging and a sense of one’s own

usefulness in regard to friends at university were sig-

nificant negative predictive indicators in females

(both P < 0.05). In females, a sense of belonging in

regard to friends outside university was a significant

positive predictive indicator for careers overall (P <

0.01).

 A multiple regression analysis was performed on the

group without a boyfriend/girlfriend, using psycho

logical apathy, decreased motivation in regard to

classes, decreased motivation in regard to academic

life, decreased motivation in regard to university and

motivation overall, attitude in regard to self-realiza-

tion, career planning, career decisions and careers

overall as objective variables, and a sense of belong-

ing, a sense of one’s own usefulness and a sense of

intrinsic comfort in regard to family, friends at uni-

versity and friends outside university as explanatory

variables. In males, almost all categories showed up

as significant predictive indicators for psychological

apathy, with a multiple correlation coefficient of

0.4396 (P < 0.01). In females, a sense of belonging

and a sense of one’s own usefulness in regard to

friends at university were significant negative predic-

tive indicators, with a multiple correlation coefficient

of 0.4963 (P < 0.01). Among males, only a sense of

intrinsic comfort in regard to family was a significant

negative predictive indicator for decreased motivation

in regard to classes (P < 0.01). Almost all categories

were significant predictive indicators among males

for decreased motivation in regard to academic life,

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401 397

Table 3. Results of a multiple regression analysis on the group (a) with a boyfriend/girlfriend (by gender), showing the relationships

between a sense of belonging, a sense of one’s own usefulness and a sense of intrinsic comfort to psychological apathy, decreased

motivation and career maturity; (b) Without a boyfriend/girlfriend (by gender), showing the relationships between a sense of belong-

ing, a sense of one’s own usefulness and a sense of intrinsic comfort to psychological apathy, decreased motivation and career maturity.

(a)

Family Friends at university Friends outside university Boyfriend/girlfriend

A sense of

belonging

A sense of one’s

own usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

A sense of

belonging

A sense of one’s

own usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

A sense of

belonging

A sense of one’s

own usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

A sense of

belonging

A sense of one’s

own usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

Males

Psychological

apathy

Females

Males

(0.2069**) −0.4987*

Decreased

motivation

in regard

to classes

Females

Males

Decreased

motivation in

regard to

academic life

Females

(0.3595**) 0.5486**

Males

(0.6550**) −0.5501** −0.4269*

Decreased motivation in

regard to university

Females

(0.5790**) −0.4013** −0.3707**

Males

Motivation

overall

Females

(0.2754**) −0.3145*−0.4504*

Males

Self-realization

Females

Males

Career

planning

Females

Males

Career

decisions

Females

Males

Careers overall

Females

0.4794** 0.3161*

(Multiple correlation coefficient) All figures indicate standard partial regression coefficients **: P < 0.01 *: P < 0.05.

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

398

(b)

Family Friends at university Friends outside university

A sense of belonging

A sense of one’s own

usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

A sense of belonging

A sense of one’s own

usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

A sense of belonging

A sense of one’s own

usefulness

A sense of

intrinsic comfort

Males

(0.4396**) 0.5079** −0.2602* −0.3696* −0.3751** −0.3303*

Psychological

apathy

Females

(0.4963**) −0.3162*−0.5047**

Males

(0.2410**) −0.3860**

Decreased

motivation in

regard to

classes

Females

Males

(0.3339**) 0.3882* −0.4298** −0.5382** 0.3067* 0.2646*

Decreased

motivation in

regard to

academic life

Females

Males

(0.5504**) −0.4786** −0.3968** −0.2274* −0.2810*

Decreased

motivation in

regard to

university

Females

(0.5840**) −0.3869** −0.2664* −0.4433**

Males

(0.3246**) 0.3797* −0.3213*−0.4257** −0.5184**

Motivation

overall

Females

Males

(0.4686**) 0.4696** 0.4421**

Self-realization

Females

(0.3017**) 0.3374*

Males

(0.2572**) 0.3072*

Career planning

Females

Males

(0.2219**) 0.3252*

Career

decisions

Females

Males

(0.3082**) 0.3990** 0.3837*

Careers overall

Females

Multiple correlation coefficient) All figures indicate standard partial regression coefficients **: P < 0.01 *: P < 0.05. (

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

399

with a multiple correlation coefficient of 0.3339 (P <

0.01). In males, a sense of belonging and a sense of

one’s own usefulness among friends at university and

friends outside university were significant negative

predictive indicators for decreased motivation in re-

gard to university, with a multiple correlation coeffi-

cient of 0.5504 (P < 0.01). Almost the same results

were noted for females, with a multiple correlation

coefficient of 0.5840 (P < 0.01). In regard to motiva-

tion overall, a sense of one’s own usefulness and a

sense of intrinsic comfort in regard to family, and a

sense of belonging and a sense of one’s own useful-

ness in regard to friends at university were significant

predictive indicators, with a multiple correlation co-

efficient of 0.3246 (P < 0.01). In males, a sense of

belonging and a sense of one’s own usefulness in re-

gard to friends at university were significant positive

predictive indicators for self-realization (both P <

0.01). In females, a sense of belonging in regard to

friends outside university was a significant positive

predictive indicator (P < 0.05). Only a sense of intrin-

sic comfort in regard to family was a significant pre-

dictive factor in males for career planning (P < 0.05).

No significant results were found for a sense of be-

longing in regard to either family or friends outside

university. In terms of career decisions, only a sense

of belonging among friends at university was a sig-

nificant predictive factor among males (P < 0.05). In

terms of careers overall, a sense of belonging and a

sense of one’s own usefulness in regard to friends at

university were significant positive predictive factors

in males, with a multiple correlation coefficient of

0.3082 (P < 0.01).

4. DISCUSSION

Broadly speaking, females scored higher than males

for a sense of belonging and a sense of one’s own use-

fulness in regard to family and friends at university,

while males scored higher for a sense of intrinsic comfort.

According to Yamanaka [7], there is a gender difference

in the behavior used to develop intimacy in relationships,

with females prioritizing joint activity in a range of areas,

while males prioritize shared activities and experiences,

thus leading to the assumption that it is easy for them to

feel the need for a sense of belonging among friends out-

side university. It is believed that these results reflect this

assumption.

No significant difference was noted between males

and females in terms of psychological apathy. In the fu-

ture, it will be necessary to consider that student apathy

is not something unique to males, but may also be ex-

perienced by females.

In regard to decreased motivation, the group without a

boyfriend/girlfriend showed a significant gender differ-

ence in scores for decreased motivation in regard to

classes. Decreased motivation in regard to classes is said

be a behavioral problem that originates with the lax life-

style attitude of a pleasure-seeking and problem-avoiding

personality [5]. The results of this study broadly lead to

the conclusion that males have a stronger tendency to

this than females.

In the group without a boyfriend/girlfriend, females

scored significantly higher than males in regard to career

maturity. It would seem that in general females are less

subject to pressure in regard to careers and employment

than males, but according to Kinjo [8], since females

have a higher desire for employment than men, and

greater anxiety about careers, they begin to think about

employment at an earlier stage, taking advice from others

around them and engaging in other practical activities. It

is believed that the results of this study reflect this situa-

tion.

A sense of belonging in regard to friends outside uni-

versity had a suppressing effect on decreased motivation

in regard to university in females among the group with a

boyfriend/girlfriend, and in both males and females in

the group without a boyfriend/girlfriend. There were also

indications that it has a suppressing effect on psycho-

logical apathy in males in the group without a boyfriend/

girlfriend. At the same time, there are indications that it

may promote decreased motivation in regard to academic

life in males, and that a sense of one’s own usefulness in

regard to friends outside university in the group with a

boyfriend/girlfriend, and a sense of intrinsic comfort in

regard to friends outside university in the group without

a boyfriend/girlfriend, may have a promoting effect on

decreased motivation in regard to academic life among

males. If we take “friends outside university” to mean

the relationships engaged in outside of class but within

university, for example in circle or club activities, it in-

dicates that decreased motivation in regard to university

life is suppressed because of a sense of belonging at uni-

versity. Being fulfilled in activities outside of class, such

as circle or club activities, increases satisfaction with

day-to-day life, making it harder to descend into psy-

chological apathy. At the same time, however, it is con-

sidered that once students find a sense of belonging

among friendships in circle or club activities, and feel

needed and intrinsically comfortable, they tend to be-

come more and more committed to activities outside of

class, with the result that their motivation in regard to

academic life decreases. Shimoyama [5], however, found

a negative association between decreased motivation in

regard to classes among male students and anhedonia

(lack of meaning), considered the central psychological

disorder behind pathological apathy, indicating that it

may include some healthy aspects. For this reason, it is

believed that among males without a boyfriend/girlfriend,

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

400

the awareness of a sense of belonging in relationships

with friends outside university can have a positive influ-

ence in terms of their mental health.

According to Kinjo [8], the greater the enthusiasm

with which female students engage in activities outside

of class (such as part time jobs and clubs), the less such

students experience a lack of information and confidence

in regard to careers, and it is believed that the more these

students feel intrinsically comfortable in their relation-

ships with friends outside university, and the more in-

volved they become with activities outside of class, the

more proactive they are in their behavior relating to ca-

reer decisions. According to Shimoyama [5], a tendency

to decreased motivation in regard to academic life among

male students has a negative association with their

“searching” attitude in regard to career decisions, as well

as a clear positive association with “delay” and “avoid-

ance”. In this study, results showed that a sense of intrin-

sic comfort in regard to friends outside university has an

effect on decreasing motivation in regard to academic

life, thus suggesting that decision-making in regard to

future career choice has been suppressed.

Furthermore, being in a romantic relationship leads to

increased self-respect and a sense of day-to-day satisfac-

tion, not only reducing depression but also leading to a

sense of self-growth and self-sufficiency in the young

person as a result of being able to build satisfactory ro-

mantic relationships during adolescence. As a result,

achieving a sense of belonging within a relationship with

a boyfriend/girlfriend is believed to be effective in sup-

pressing psychological apathy [9,10]. Despite this, how-

ever long a relationship continues for, females continue

to have a sense of “relationship anxiety”, and to consider

that they have to fit their lives around the lifestyle of

their male partner, with the result that they have a

stronger sense of their lifestyle becoming disrupted than

males [10]. Although they have a sense of belonging in

their relationship with their boyfriend/girlfriend, they

constantly feel anxiety over whether or not the romantic

relationship is stable, even as the relationship becomes

deeper, and for that reason they invest so much energy in

their partner that they become unable to keep up with

other things, resulting in their lifestyles being disrupted

because they are trying to hard to fit in with their part-

ners. It is assumed that their motivation in regard to uni-

versity and academic life decreases as a result. It has

been shown that an awareness of “insecurity” or “worry”

in regard to a relationship with a boyfriend/girlfriend has

a correlation to poor mental health [11].

In this study, it was shown that the more males without

a boyfriend/girlfriend believe they are needed by their

families, the easier it is for them to fall into psychologi-

cal apathy. It would seem that having their existence ac-

knowledged by the family and feeling needed ought to

have a positive impact on mental health, but according to

research by Mouri and Sagami [12], a correlation has

been shown between male students’ sense that they are

restricted by their fathers, and factors for psychological

apathy. In other words, such results can be expected if we

consider that the sense of “being needed” is underpinned

by a latent sense of “being held back”. The breakdown of

the survey criteria used in this study do not make such

classification possible, and it is thought necessary to im-

plement a further survey in the future in consideration of

this point. Regarding the criteria for this survey, the defi-

nition of “friends outside university” was taken by some

subjects to mean friends in circle and club activities, and

by others to mean friends at their part-time job, etc.,

leading to differing results, and furthermore the criteria

in this study were simplified, thus leading to the conclu-

sion that further careful consideration of criteria will be

required in order to implement more accurate analysis.

This study indicates that a sense of belonging impacts

the tendency to lethargy in university students in a vari-

ety of ways, and also impacts career maturity, although

only partially. In particular, good relationships with

friends at university were shown to have a suppressing

effect on decreased motivation in regard to university. In

addition, in terms of a sense of belonging in these same

relationships, we saw that a sense of one’s own useful-

ness and a sense of intrinsic comfort had completely the

opposite effect. The authors did not reach any conclu-

sions regarding background factors and mechanisms in

this study, and as a result further more detailed consid-

erations will be required in the future, but the fact that

perfunctory responses to all students demonstrating a

tendency to lethargy will not only not solve said ten-

dency, but may in fact make the situation worse, should

be born in mind when offering support to such students.

It is believed desirable to implement support for students

with a tendency to lethargy that prioritizes suppression of

psychological apathy and decreased motivation in regard

to university. It is increasingly considered that the age at

which lethargy is expressed has been falling, and for this

reason it is hoped that future surveys of children and

school pupils will lead to consideration of optimized

responses and support for each of these groups.

5. CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that good relation-

ships with friends at university can suppress decreased

motivation in regard to university, and that a sense of

belonging also has a partial impact on career maturity.

The study was implemented in regard to university stu-

dents, and consideration was given to the tendency to

lethargy shown by students. Recently, however, absen-

teeism and school adaptation have become serious prob-

F. Omasu, Y. Takahashi / Open Journal of Preventive Medicine 3 (201 3) 393-401

401

[6] Nihon Shinro Shido Kyokai (1999) Atarashii gakko

shinro shido no hyoka. Nihon Shinro Shido Kyokai,

Shinjuku-Ku. (in Japanese)

lems among elementary, junior and senior high school

pupils, much of which is attributed to lethargy. For this

reason, it is hoped that future surveys of children and

school pupils will be implemented, and such findings

will lead to the development of optimized responses and

support for each of these groups.

[7] Yamanaka, K. (1994) A study of early differentiation of

relatedness in relationship development among college

students. The Japanese Journal of Experimental Social

Psychology, 34, 105-115. (in Japanese)

doi:10.2130/jjesp.34.105

[8] Kinjo, H. (2008) Sex differences of college students in

career decision-making self-efficacy, career indecision

behaviors, and career seeking behaviors. The Japanese

Society for the Study of Career Education, 27, 15-23. (in

Japanese)

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