by Kate Trimble, Senior Director, Priscilla King Gray Public Service @ MIT

Overview | Examples | Caveats| References | Printable PDF

What is it?

Student well-being encompasses two major elements: psychological well-being (PWB) and physical health. [This section focuses mainly on the former while briefly discussing the latter.]

Psychological well-being (PWB) is an “umbrella” concept that encompasses a multifaceted range of characteristics, practices, and beliefs, and broadly describes an individual’s ability to cope with/adapt to change, relate to and engage with others, and realize one’s potential. In short, PWB “constitutes a set of skills, beliefs, or tendencies that can be used to effectively manage one’s life” (Bowman 2010; Bowman and Kitayama 2009; Smider et al, 1996).

Ryff (1989) created a model for PWB that includes six different but interrelated dimensions:

• Autonomous functioning and decision-making;
• Mastery of one’s environment;
• Seeking opportunities for personal growth;
• Maintaining positive relationships with others;
• Having a sense of purpose in life; and
• Accepting and thinking positively about oneself.

Why is it important?

While little research has explored PWB in college students specifically, research focused on adults shows that PWB contributes to a range of positive outcomes, including physical health measures (Ryff et al, 2006; Ryff, Singer, and Love, 2004), positive emotions and life satisfaction (Bowman and Kitayama, 2009), and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances (Smider 1996). Note that PWB is not synonymous with happiness or self-esteem.

Students come to college with differing levels of PWB: students who are female, Latinx, traditional age, and those with high academic achievement and aspirations tend to have greater PWB upon arrival at college. Furthermore, certain pre-college characteristics are positively related to gains in PWB during the first year of college: “being a non-first-generation student, [being] female, being older than the traditional college age, and having high academic achievement” (Bowman 2010).