Abstract:

Introduction:
The educational context presents human experiences and interactions that shape a lifestyle influenced by the environment where children and adolescents are developing, which can affect their emotional development and psychological well-being.

Objective:
To identify the psychological lifestyle of students belonging to the Association of Jesuit Schools of Colombia – ACODESI.

Theoretical Framework:
Lifestyles, from a psychological perspective, are related to emotional development, fostering positive interactions in human relationships and community living. In this sense, thoughts, emotions, and human behavior serve as indicators of well-being and the ability to face life's challenges and difficulties at an individual or group level within the educational context. Therefore, the literature identifies four categories corresponding to psychological lifestyles in the educational context:
a) Stress Management (SM), a relational process between the individual and their environment;
b) Time Perception (TP), allows understanding and making sense of reality, in terms of temporally situated stimuli;
c) Social Relationships (SR), process through which a person incorporates beliefs, values, customs, attitudes, and behavior patterns;
d) Mental Health (MH), a social construct that can vary from one context to another, depending on the health criteria, illness, normality, and abnormality established within each social group;
e) Sleep Quality (SQ), sleep promotes learning and problem-solving skills, managing emotions, and adapting to change.
These categories reflect the challenges that children and young people may encounter in their educational environments.

Methodology:
A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study was applied to a population of students (N=839) aged 14.5 ± 2.5 years, enrolled in three schools belonging to ACODESI during the first semester of 2024; 55.1% (n=462) were female and 44.9% (n=377) were male. A self-administered questionnaire was designed with 2 open-ended questions and 16 Likert scale items, achieving a Cronbach's Alpha validity ≥ 0.85 (α). This questionnaire explored variables related to psychological lifestyle such as SM, TP, SR, MH and SQ, according to the ethical code of the American Educational Research Association.

Results:
The results reveal negative index for SM, where 55.3% (n=464) of students do not engage in exercises to relax their body and mind when feeling nervous, and 51% (n=428) do not have the habit of deep breathing or meditation to feel calm and relaxed. Additionally, for TP, 57.8% (n=485) fear thinking about their future life as they grow older. On the other hand, the findings show positive index for SR, with 73.3% (n=615) spending most of their time making friends and engaging in activities with close acquaintances. Similarly, for MH, 60.8% (n=510) seek out people to talk to and feel better when they have problems. Finally, for SQ, 55.2% (n=463) do not manage to sleep when they are anxious or worried and 60.3% (n=506) feel tired and sleepy during the day when they do not manage to sleep well at night.

Conclusions:
The results highlight the necessity of formulating pedagogical strategies that contribute to the development of the psychological lifestyle of students within the educational context of ACODESI. This can be achieved through educational programs and interventions that promote the attention, prevention, and promotion of mental health in school well-being.

Keywords:

Lifestyle, Mental Health, Educational Context.