Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students
This study explored whether the university environment provides similar well-being enhancing elements to those that have been found in the workplace and school contexts. Whether psychological inflexibility accounts for well-being over and above personality and environmental influences was also explo...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Springer
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24788 |
| _version_ | 1848751526676267008 |
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| author | Mazzucchelli, Trevor Purcell, E. |
| author_facet | Mazzucchelli, Trevor Purcell, E. |
| author_sort | Mazzucchelli, Trevor |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This study explored whether the university environment provides similar well-being enhancing elements to those that have been found in the workplace and school contexts. Whether psychological inflexibility accounts for well-being over and above personality and environmental influences was also explored. A representative sample of 163 undergraduate university students in an Australian university completed an online survey measuring the key constructs. Environmental influences assessed included financial resources, physical security, opportunity to use new skills, externally generated goals, variety, environmental clarity, interpersonal contact, and valued social position. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were then conducted to test for predictors of three domains of subjective well-being: positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The results suggested that university context contributes significantly to undergraduate students’ well-being by providing a valued social role, externally generated goals, and variety. Students’ perception of their physical security was also an important influence on their well-being. These results are consistent with the literature on well-being and employment. Neuroticism significantly predicted negative affect, while psychological inflexibility accounted for unique variance in life satisfaction and negative affect even when personality and environmental influences were taken into account. The implications of these findings for enhancing undergraduate university students’ well-being are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:54:08Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-24788 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:54:08Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Springer |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-247882017-09-13T15:12:59Z Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students Mazzucchelli, Trevor Purcell, E. This study explored whether the university environment provides similar well-being enhancing elements to those that have been found in the workplace and school contexts. Whether psychological inflexibility accounts for well-being over and above personality and environmental influences was also explored. A representative sample of 163 undergraduate university students in an Australian university completed an online survey measuring the key constructs. Environmental influences assessed included financial resources, physical security, opportunity to use new skills, externally generated goals, variety, environmental clarity, interpersonal contact, and valued social position. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were then conducted to test for predictors of three domains of subjective well-being: positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The results suggested that university context contributes significantly to undergraduate students’ well-being by providing a valued social role, externally generated goals, and variety. Students’ perception of their physical security was also an important influence on their well-being. These results are consistent with the literature on well-being and employment. Neuroticism significantly predicted negative affect, while psychological inflexibility accounted for unique variance in life satisfaction and negative affect even when personality and environmental influences were taken into account. The implications of these findings for enhancing undergraduate university students’ well-being are discussed. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24788 10.1186/s13612-015-0033-z Springer fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Mazzucchelli, Trevor Purcell, E. Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title | Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title_full | Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title_fullStr | Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title_short | Psychological and Environmental Correlates of Well-being Among Undergraduate University Students |
| title_sort | psychological and environmental correlates of well-being among undergraduate university students |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/24788 |