Determining the mediating role of hope for the future in the relationship between mental health and academic socialization: Case study of Ilam universities students

The present article aims at determining the mediating role of hope for the future in the relationship between mental health and academic socialization. The research method is survey and analysis using Structural Equations Modeling (SEM). The statistical population of the study includes all the students of National, Payam Noor and Islamic Azad universities of Ilam in the academic year 2018-2019, approximately 9132 students. Using Cochran's formula, the sample size is 384 students and was selected by Stratified Random Sampling. The research instrument is a researcher-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire is in the form of 5 dimensions of academic socialization concepts and 61 items, mental health by 11 items and hope for the future by 6 items. Its formal and content validity are obtained by counseling with professionals, and its reliability by Cronbach’s alpha. Findings indicate that mental health has a significant relationship with academic socialization. The relationship between hope for the future with mental health and also academic socialization was also significant. The mediating role of hope for the future has also been minor in the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. It can be concluded that having hope for the future among students can increase their socialization by strengthening the role of mental health.