An Exploratory Study of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) among Female Students in a French Context
Gaymard Sandrine *
University of Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL), EA 4638, Maison de la recherche Germain Tillion, 5 bis boulevard Lavoisier 49045 Angers cedex 01, France.
Tiplica Teodor
University of Angers, Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Ingénierie de Systèmes (LARIS), EA 7315, Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l’Ingénieur d’Angers (ISTIA), 62 avenue Notre Dame du Lac 49000 Angers, France.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study is to test with an exploratory approach the relevance of the 3 MHLC sub-scales while examining the answers of a group of 61 female students in a French context. The Locus of control is acknowledged to be a personality variable which proves to be a good predictor of health problems according to its internal or external orientation.
Methods: In order to study the relationships between the different items of the 3 sub-scales and the way the students’ answers are configured, we performed a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and we grouped the female students by using a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA).
Results: Analysis with MCA clearly reveals the 3 subscales and within our sample 4 classes of female students are identified by means of HCA.
Conclusion: While confirming the relevance of the 3 MHLC subscales, this study shows that in this sample of French female students, 4 personality profiles appear with differentiated perceptions of control.
Keywords: Multidimensional health locus of control, female students, multiple correspondence analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis