Skills, Beliefs & Behaviors
Well-Being: Examples
Practices that support (or impair) development
Practices that support (or impair) development
Bowman’s work found that students’ experiences in college have significant impact upon their levels of PWB-- both positive and negative (2010).
College experiences contributing to PWB promotion in first year students:
- Positive interactions with diversity
- Forming meaningful relationships with other students
- Interactions with faculty
- In-class challenge
Experiences that decrease PWB in first year students:
- Hostile or negative interactions with diversity; and
- Drinking alcohol, even only once or twice a week. [Bowman notes: “It is unclear whether drinking alcohol results in lower PWB, or whether students who have difficulty adjusting to college start to exhibit lower PWB, which then leads to drinking behavior” (2010).]
Health behaviors also impact students’ well-being and academic performance in significant ways.
- Sleep Habits and Sleep Quality: Research by Ridner and colleagues (2016) indicate that sleep quality was the strongest predictor of student well-being among undergraduate students surveyed; other factors included physical activity, current tobacco use, depression, and ever received mental health services. In two studies of college students’ sleep and health measures, researchers found that, “in subjects sleeping an average of 7 hours a night, average sleep quality was better related to health, affect balance, satisfaction with life, and feelings of tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion than average sleep quantity” (Pilcher et al, 1997). Another study of a random sample of 200 college students examined a the impact of a range of health behaviors and variables on GPA, finding that sleep habits and wake-up times accounted for the largest variance (with later wake-up times associated with lower GPAs) (Trockel et al., 2000).
- Physical Activity: Physical health can be a significant predictor of undergraduate students’ psychological well being (Chow 2007). Students who participated in physical activity had more positive psychological well-being and fewer illnesses, and reduced suicidal thoughts and risks of hopelessness and depression (Bray and Kwan, 2006; Taliaferro, Rienzo, Pigg, Miller, and Dodd, 2009). More frequent exercise can help students alleviate negative moods, reduce anger, decrease depression and anxiety, lower cynical distrust in others and perceived stress levels, and feel more socially integrated into their community (Hassmen, Koivula and Uutela, 2000). Iwasaki also found that the use of a leisure activity, such as physical activity, increases well-being and lowers mental health-issues (2001). Finally, Bray and Kwan investigated differences in physical and psychological well being among active and inactive first year college students, finding no difference in self-reported upper respiratory illness but that “insufficiently active students scored lower on psychological well-being and were twice as likely to have consulted a physician regarding an illness compared with sufficiently active students” (2006).
Bowman (2010) suggests that colleges and universities can promote students’ PWB in a number of ways:
- Work toward facilitating meaningful relationships among all students and support the formation of quality peer relationships;
- Minimize hostile interactions across diversity and build students’ interpersonal skills through curricular or co-curricular programs on group dynamics and conflict mediation;
- Educate students about the risks associated with drinking and the adverse effects on students' well-being, personal development, and academic performance (Pascarella et al., 2007; Perkins, 2002) and suggest to students that drinking is a non-normative behavior (e.g., Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990).
Interventions that promote sleep quality and sufficient vigorous physical activity among college students may also be beneficial in improving well-being (Ridner et al, 2016; Pilcher et al, 1997; Trockel et al., 2000; Taliaferro et al, 2009; Hassmen et al, 2000; Bray and Kwan, 2006).
Implementation examples
Implementation examples
High Impact Practices that support Psychological Well-Being