Educational Research International Vol.

4(2) April 2015

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Gender Differences between Assertiveness and Psychological Well Being

among University Students
Sameera Shafiq 1, Rifqa Anam Naz 2, Bashra Yousaf 3
Department of Psychology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, PAKISTAN
1
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to examine the relationship between Assertiveness and
Psychological well being among university students. Data were taken from a sample
of 100 university students (50 males and 50 females) with the age range between 19-
23 years, using convenience sampling technique. Psychological Well Being Scale
(PWBS) developed by Diener et al., 2009 was used to measure the psychological well
being whereas The Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) by Nevid and Rathus (1978)
was used to measure assertiveness among the students. Data was analyzed via SPSS
20 version. Results showed insignificant gender differences in the levels on
assertiveness and psychological well being. Significant correlation was observed
between assertiveness and psychological well being, hence proved the hypothesis.
Results also indicated no significant differences of family system with assertiveness
and psychological well being of the students but in the region of residence, the
students exhibited significant differences for assertiveness only and not in the level of
psychological well being.
Keywords: Mental health, assertiveness, adolescent, university students.

INTRODUCTION
In our daily lives, peoples’ conversation conveyed thoughts and feelings via verbal
communication (e.g., use of words) and nonverbal communication (e.g., through body
language, voice tone, facial expressions, and bodily actions either by passive, aggressive or
assertive style. Usually people employ all three approaches of communication in their
conversation and use one approach according to the demand of situation (Pipa & Jaradat,
2010). The adoption of social skills such as successful communication can direct to a more
affirmative social sense of self and may determine the student’s abilities to succeed in their
social peer group (Sarkova, Sleskova, Orosova, Geckova, Katreniakova, Heuvel, & Dijk,
2013). Assertive communication style is considered better as it led to success and minimized
the factors which decreased self-achievement and thus enhanced psychological well being
(Gumusgul, Goral, Demirel, 2014). The present study investigated the relationship of
assertiveness and psychological well being among the students studying in University of
Gujrat, Gujrat. Further it has explored the presence of gender differences on these variables.
Assertiveness in a person commonly stands for confident behavior and is considered an
approach that a person holds towards others. It is a cognitive mindset of the thoughts and
emotions that determined one’s communication style. Assertive person behaves in a way that
facilitates effective communication, solves problems and strengthens team work (Robbins &
Hunsaker, 2009, as cited in Hargie, 2011). It is also a way of communication that conveys
needs, views, and emotions as well as respects the rights of others. In this way, it has been
differentiated from aggressive behavior which abuses the rights of others and passive
behavior where there is no respect for oneself. Therefore, it is a communication style in
which person is capable to convey his feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions to others
explicitly that doesn’t defy other rights (Michel, 2008). Pipa and Jaradat (2010) defined it as

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an ability of one’s representation towards world, to express feelings, when one feels it
necessary. So the ability to give respect and importance to our own rights and others is called
assertiveness.
According to İnceoğlu and Aytar, assertiveness is a healthy way of behavior on interpersonal
interactions and communications. It can also described as the individual expressing his
feelings , needs, thoughts and protecting his own rights, considering the other people too (as
cited in Gumusgul, Goral, & Demirel, 2014). An assertive communication is a awareness
about our needs and the way to get .Therefore, main objective of assertive communication is
not only to be aware of needs and problems but also the effort to solve the problems and get
utmost success (Pipa & Jaradat, 2010). This implied an existence of a deep relationship
between assertive behavior and wellness.
WHO (2001) has defined optimistic mental health as “a state of well-being in which the
individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (as
cited in Huppert, 2009). In recent years, Ryff (1989) has proposed a type of wellbeing in an
addition to subjective wellbeing based on the idea of collective human desires and successful
execution towards wellness. This approach was labeled psychological well-being by Diener,
Wirtz, Biswas-Diener, Tov, Kim-Prieto, Choi and Oishi (2009).
Huppert (2009) described psychological well-being as living a continuous life combined with
feeling good and functioning efficiently which helped to cope with these negative life
experiences and as a result maintain the well being. Ryff (1989) has described six dimensions
of psychological wellbeing. Self-acceptance is the first dimension which entailed positive and
accepting attitude of a person toward his or her own self. Personal growth referred to a
continuous grooming process which broadened human experiences and knowledge. The third
dimension is known as purpose in life which denoted to the inspiration for achievement of
goals and objectives one has set for him- or herself. Environmental mastery is one’s sense of
self-efficacy to overcome environmental problems by constructing personally suitable
contexts and situations. Autonomy is self-independence by having a strong command on
self-regulatory and self-monitoring processes as he or she strive against social norms and
assessed himself by personal values and ethical standards. The last one is positive relations
with others exhibited by warmness, satisfaction, trusted relations, to care for others by
exhibiting love, regard, and tenderness.
Assertive behavior may be used as supportive tool to maintain social interactions and in
result enjoying good emotional wellbeing (Eskin, 2003). Furthermore, those who have
grasped assertiveness are better able to diminish interpersonal conflicts in everyday lives,
consequently eliminating a major cause of stress (Pipa & Jaradat, 2010). All of the six
dimensions as proposed by Ryff (1989) showed qualities of being assertive that result in
psychological well being. Therefore, if a person is assertive, he will have positive attitude
toward himself, able to manage a problematic environment, repel group thinking and express
strong positive emotions towards others.
Maria (2009) conducted a study to investigate the association between assertiveness and
psychological well-being among adult students. 500 adult university students were selected
through systematic sampling. Findings of the research showed that there is a significant
positive relationship between assertive behavior of students and their psychological well-
being. Another study by Sarkova et al, (2013) was conducted to explore the association
between assertive behavior of adolescents, psychological well-being and self-esteem on a
sample of 1023 adolescent students. Findings revealed that assertiveness was confidently
associated with psychological well-being and self-esteem. A similar study by Dogan , Totan ,

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and Sapmaz (2013) was led to examine the inter-relationship between assertiveness,
psychological well-being, and self-esteem. 340 University students (female n= 213; male n=
109) were selected. Findings indicated an affirmed relationship between assertiveness,
psychological well-being, and self-esteem.
In a study Gulsah (2003) investigated the influences of an assertiveness training on the
assertiveness, mental health and self-esteem on Childern on Grade five. The purpose was to
explore the effects on children’s level of assertiveness, mental health and self esteem. The
results revealed substantial differences between the two groups based on their assertiveness
scores. While exploring the effects of assertiveness training on mental wellbeing and self-
esteem, results indicated no significant variance among two groups. Conversely, observation
recorded on teachers indicated that training added positively to the children’s self-esteem and
mental well being. Devin, Farbod, Asadi, and Basirat (2013) explored the differences in
assertiveness, psychological well-being, and locus of control (LOC) in 193 elderly people and
also tried to find out how these variables correlate to each other. Significant correlation was
observed between these variables.
In a study by Eskin (2003) cross-cultural comparison of self-stated assertiveness was done in
652 Swedish and 654 Turkish high school students, findings indicated gender difference in
conveying thoughts and dealing with personal restrictions where females were found to be
more capable. Adolescents who reported high scores in assertiveness have more friends and
social supported than the adolescents who were less assertiveness. Powell, and Newgent
(2011) conducted a study in which Thirty five mental health professionals were taken as
sample who completed a series of inventories. Analyses revealed a significant difference
between level of assertiveness and theoretical orientation as action-oriented counselors had
significantly higher levels of assertiveness than the insight-oriented counselors.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Based on the review of the literature, the study was designed with the following objectives:
1. To examine gender differences in assertiveness and psychological well-being
among university students.
2. To investigate relationship between assertiveness and psychological well-being
among university student.
3. To investigate role of socio-demographics in relationship between assertiveness
and psychological well-being among university students.
HYPOTHESES
The hypotheses of the research are
H 1: There will be a significant gender difference on score of assertiveness and
psychological well-being among university students.
H 2: There will be a relationship between assertiveness and psychological well-being
among university students.
H 3: Key demographics (area of residence and family system) will play a role in
relationship between assertiveness and psychological well-being among university
students.

RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between assertiveness and
psychological well being. Assertiveness is proposed as a factor positively associated with

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psychological well being. Issues of students like assertiveness and psychological well being
have not gained so much maturity in Pakistan yet. Reviewed literature revealed a need of
research on student’s assertiveness and psychological wellbeing especially in Pakistan. The
findings of the present study have provided a guideline for mental health professionals and
counselors especially for those working in college and university settings, that through
provision of assertive therapies, they can reduce the aggressiveness and passiveness of the
students with behavioral and emotional problems and improved their psychological well
being, thereby resulting in uplift of their academic achievements indirectly.

METHOD
A comparative, co-relational research design was used to study the association between
assertiveness and psychological wellbeing among male and female university students.
Sample
Students of BS (Hons), University of Gujrat (N=100) were selected through convenience
sampling technique. Among them female students (N=50) and male students (N=50) female
students. Social sciences students who were doing BS (Hons) including BS 7th and Master 3rd
semester with age below 25 were included in the study sample. The rest of the students were
excluded from the study.
Instruments
Permission to use required instruments was taken per e-mail from respective authors of the
Instruments. English versions of scales were used in present research.
Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS)
Psychological well being scale (Diener et. al., 2009) was used to measure psychological well
being of male and female students. PWB is an 8 item scale scored on 7-points Likert scoring
ranging from (1"strongly disagree" to "strongly agree"). The reliability coefficient for
Psychological wellbeing scale is α .87
The Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS)
The Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) is a 30 item scale developed by Nevid and Rathus
(1978) to measure Assertiveness. It is a self-report measure to gain insight how assertive a
person is. McCormick (1984) has scored this schedule on a 6 point rating with 1 for “very
unlike me” to 6 “very much like me” categories with 0.94 reliability.
Demographic Data Sheet:
Apart from the scales demographic information about students’ age (years), gender
(male/female), father’s monthly income (Pakistani rupees in thousands), region of residence
(rural/urban), family system (nuclear/joint) was also obtained on demographic data sheet.
Procedure
To collect data from students, prior permission was obtained from head of departments. To
check the language difficulty of instruments pilot study was conducted on sample of 10
students (3 male, 7 females) from target population. Convenience sampling technique was
used to select study sample. Those students who were agree to participate, was asked to fill
the questionnaire and demographic data sheet. Respondents were assured for the
confidentiality of their data and requested for careful attention towards questionnaire.
Moreover, respondents were requested to provide required information accurately.

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Data Analysis
To compute the results, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (20th version) was used.
Frequencies and percentages of demographic characteristics of participants were computed.
Mean and standard deviation were calculated to see the average scores of adult male and
female students on each instrument. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to assess
the relationship between key the variables of the study. Independent sample t-test was
performed to compare means of two groups for gender, region of residence and family
system.

RESULTS
The results of the present research are presented below
Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents (n=100)
Characteristics N %
Age
19-21 59 59
22-23 41 41
Gemder
Male 30 30
Female 70 70
Father’s Monthly Income(rupees)
15-40 thousand 35 35
41-65 thousand 41 41
66-90 thousand and above 24 24
Region of Residence
Urban 60 60
Rural 40 40
Family System
Joint 45 45
Nuclear 55 55

Table 1 shows the frequencies and percentages of demographics including students’ age,
gender, fathers’ monthly income, region of residence, and family system.
Table: 2. Mean, Standard Deviation, and Correlation Coefficient of Rathus Assertiveness Schedule
(RAS) and Psychological Well Being Scale (PWBS) (N= 100)

N M SD r

RAS 123.6 15.2

PWBS 100 42.4 7.0 0.245*

*p < 0.05
Table 2 shows a significant positive correlation coefficient (r= 0.245) between the level of
assertiveness and psychological well being among university students.

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Table: 3. Comparison of male and female students’ score on RAS (Rathus Assertiveness Schedule)
and PWB (Psychological Well Being) scale
Male Female
(N=30) (N=70)
Measures M SD M SD t-value p

RAS 124.2 11.9 123.3 16.5 .292 .79

PWBS 43.6 7.1 42.1 7.1 .973 .87

Note. p=n.s
Table 3 indicate that mean and standard deviation of male and female for assertiveness is
124.2, 11.9 and 123.3, 16.5 respectively, which suggest that there is a difference among male
and female on the score of assertiveness. Mean and standard deviation of male and female
for psychological well-being is 43.6, 7.1 and 42.1, 7.1 respectively, which suggest that there
is a difference among male and female on the score of psychological well-being, while the
value of p= .87. therefore, these differences are insignificant for assertiveness and
psychological well-being among the students.
Table: 4. Comparison of area of residence and family system on RAS (Rathus Assertiveness
Schedule) and PWBS (Psychological Well Being scale)

Area of Residence

Urban (N=60) Rural (N=40)

Variables M SD M SD t-value p

RAS 121.0 11.9 127.5 18.5 -2.1 0.03

PWBS 42.8 7.3 41.8 6.6 0.7 0.45

Family System
Joint (N=45) Nuclear (N= 55)

RAS 122.7 12.2 42.9 7.3 -0.5 0.61

PWBS 124.9 17.3 42.0 6.9 -0.6 0.52

*p < 0.05; df=98

The table 4 revealed that there is no significant association between key demographics (areas
of residency and family system) with assertiveness and psychological well-being except in
the level of assertiveness (t= -2.1; *p = 0.03) between the students residing in the urban and
rural regions.

DISCUSSION
The first hypothesis of the present study was, “There will be a relationship between
assertiveness and psychological well-being among university students”. The results of the
study showed that a positive significant relationship existed between assertiveness and
psychological well-being among university students (see table 2). The findings of the study
are consistent with the several researches (Riggio et al, 1993; Maria, 2009; Hassan, Davood,
Neda, Maryam, 2013) that showed empirically a strong correlation between psychological
wellbeing and assertive social skill.

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The second hypothesis of the present study was, “There will be a significant gender
difference on score of assertiveness and psychological well-being among university
students”. The finding of the research has showed that that there are no significant gender
differences in the level of assertiveness and psychological well-being among university
students (see table 3). Findings are contrary to the view there will be a significant gender
difference on score of assertiveness and psychological well-being among university students.
These findings are consistent with a study conducted by Eskin (2003) who also found that
there would be no difference between genders on assertiveness sense of wellness.
The third hypothesis of the study was, “Key demographic variables (area of residency and
family system) will play a significant role in assertiveness and psychological well-being
among university students”. Contrary to the view, there was no significant relationship
between the key demographic (age, socioeconomic status and family system), assertiveness
and psychological well-being among university students except area of residence (see table
4). In accordance with the prevailing cultural value differences in rural and urban areas, it
was expected that there will be difference in assertiveness of rural and urban adolescents.
This expectation was based on the assertiveness as a behavioral pattern in rural and urban
area. The results from the study supported this expectation and found significant relationship
between assertiveness and but not for the wellbeing with reference to area. These findings are
congruent with a study conducted by Asokan and Muthumanickam (2013) who also stated
that rural students are more assertive than urban students. However, the result of insignificant
difference in the students’ well-being residing in urban and rural areas is contrary to the
findings of the research conducted by Bitz (2012) which stated a high sense of well being in
rural students as compared to urban students in colleges.

LIMITATIONS
The following are some limitations that researcher faced in this study:
i. The generalizability of findings might consider low as the data consisted only of 50
males and 50 females. So the findings of the current research cannot be generalized to
the whole population due to small sample size.
ii. The sample was taken only from university of Gujrat which may not be termed as
representative sample of whole population of the university students as there are other
university campuses situated in Gujrat.
iii. The data analysis was correlational, thus not allowed to find out the causal
relationships between variables of the study.
iv. Keeping in mind the depth of the topic the time span was very limited.

SUGGESTIONS
The following are some suggestions researcher wants to give future researchers :
i. An intensive in depth study is required on wide scale to get more thorough results.
The sample should be collected from different educational setups in Gujrat in order to
get more generalizability of the results.
ii. Researcher should control the different variables especially socioeconomic status and
family setup in order to have more sound findings for causal relationship exploration.
iii. Since this was a naïve attempt, further in depth studies can yield valuable results as
for instance by conducting a longitudinal study, better understanding of mentioned
variables could be obtained.

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iv. The sample size should be large to get more representative and reliable results.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results of the present study, it can be confirmed that there is a significant
positive correlation coefficient (r= 0.245*) between the level of assertiveness and
psychological well being among university students. However, there are no significant
differences among male and female on the scores of psychological well-being and
assertiveness. In addition, there are no significant association between key demographics
(areas of residency and family system) with assertiveness and psychological well-being
except in the level of assertiveness between the students residing in the urban and rural
regions.

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