Factors associated with the psychological well-being and distress of university students

Abstract

Objective: Because of the serious nature of psychiatric illness and related problems, the authors attempted to identify demographic, individual, and behavioral factors linked to university students' psychological health.

Participants: They surveyed 353 (60.9% female) predominantly Caucasian (88.7%) university students attending a large public university.

Methods: The authors used a self-report questionnaire including valid and reliable psychometric instruments for all study variables. They conducted multiple regression analyses to examine associations among study variables using a cross-sectional design.

Results: More favorable health states (ie, greater psychological well-being and less distress) were positively associated with optimism, health values, and religiousness and were negatively associated with spirituality and number of sexual partners.

Conclusions: Results demonstrated that multiple protective and risk factors contribute to the psychological well-being and distress of university students. Health promotion practitioners should adopt strategies that strengthen the personality characteristics and values associated with university students' psychological health.