The Effects of Setting Life Goals on Mental and Physical Health among University Students: A Path Analysis

Background: Setting life goals plays a multidimensional and indispensable role in an individual's psychological well-being, intrinsic motivation, search for meaning, and behavioral orientation. Especially in young adulthood, clearly defined life goals can guide individuals in making healthier lifestyle choices and coping with psychological challenges. This study aims to examine the effects of university students' life goals levels on various indicators of mental and physical health. Methods: The study sample consisted of 410 university students. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Physical Activity Scale (PARS-3), Nutritional Habits Scale, Scale of Setting Life Goals, Psychological Wellbeing and Distress Scale, and Cognitive Flexibility Scale. The normality of the data distribution was assessed via skewness and kurtosis values. Goodness of fit values were evaluated in the preliminary analyses. Descriptive statistics (arithmetic means and standard deviations) and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS v27 and JASP v0.19.3. Path analysis, performed in AMOS v25, was used to test the main hypotheses. The significance level was set at p = .05. Results: Path analysis results revealed that higher levels of life goals were significantly associated with increased psychological well-being (β = 0.24), physical activity (β = 0.33), and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.44), and with decreased psychological distress (β = -0.12) and unhealthy eating behaviors (β = -0.26) (p < .05). These relationships highlight the influence of life goals on both mental and behavioral health dimensions. Conclusions: The findings suggest that life goals contribute positively not only to mental well-being but also to the adoption of health-promoting behaviors. The study underscores the multidimensional role of life goals in supporting mental and physical health during young adulthood. These insights can inform the development of preventive and educational interventions aimed at promoting student well-being in university settings.