Subjective Well-Being Profile of University Students and Its Influencing Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64420/ijcp.v3i1.506Keywords:
Subjective well-being , University students, Influencing factorsAbstract
Background: Subjective well-being is an important indicator of psychological health and life satisfaction among university students. Understanding students’ well-being is essential because academic demands, social adjustment, and developmental transitions during university life can significantly affect their psychological condition. Objective: This study aims to examine the profile of subjective well-being among university students and to identify the factors influencing it. Method: A quantitative survey design was employed, involving undergraduate students from several academic programs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that measured dimensions of subjective well-being, including life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, along with several potential influencing factors, such as academic stress, social support, and personal motivation. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the profile of students’ subjective well-being, while inferential analysis was applied to determine the factors associated with variations in well-being levels. Results: Students demonstrate varying levels of subjective well-being across different dimensions, with several factors showing significant relationships with overall well-being. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of academic and psychosocial environments in supporting students’ psychological health. Contribution: The study contributes to a better understanding of university students’ well-being. It provides educators and institutions with insights to develop strategies that enhance students’ psychological well-being and overall quality of life.
References
Allen, J. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2018). Satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs in the real world and in video games predict internet gaming disorder scores and well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 220-229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.034
Au, A., Caltabiano, N. J., & Vaksman, O. (2023). The impact of sense of belonging, resilience, time management skills and academic performance on psychological well-being among university students. Cogent Education, 10(1), 2215594. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2215594
Bembenutty, H., Kitsantas, A., DiBenedetto, M. K., Wigfield, A., Greene, J. A., Usher, E. L., ... & Chen, P. P. (2024). Harnessing motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation: Dale H. Schunk’s enduring influence. Educational Psychology Review, 36(4), 139. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s10648-024-09969-9
Chen, J. H., Keyes, S. A., DeGregorio, V., & Gardner, A. K. (2025). Enhancing perceptions of social support and belonging in surgery residency programs. Journal of Surgical Education, 82(9), 103612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2025.103612
Das, K. V., Jones-Harrell, C., Fan, Y., Ramaswami, A., Orlove, B., & Botchwey, N. (2020). Understanding subjective well-being: perspectives from psychology and public health. Public Health Reviews, 41(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-020-00142-5
Delgado-Lobete, L., Montes-Montes, R., Vila-Paz, A., Talavera-Valverde, M. Á., Cruz-Valiño, J. M., Gándara-Gafo, B., ... & Santos-del-Riego, S. (2020). Subjective well-being in higher education: Psychometric properties of the satisfaction with life and subjective vitality scales in Spanish university students. Sustainability, 12(6), 2176. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062176
Dong, X., Xing, Z., Song, H., & Hu, D. (2025). The impact of education on subjective well-being: a meta-analysis based on 59 empirical studies. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1651896. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1651896
Fischer, R., Scheunemann, J., & Moritz, S. (2021). Coping strategies and subjective well-being: Context matters. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(8), 3413-3434. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s10902-021-00372-7
Golinelli, D., Sanmarchi, F., Guarducci, G., Palombarini, J., Benetti, P., Rosa, S., & Lenzi, J. (2025). Gender differences in healthcare utilization across Europe: Evidence from the European Health Interview Survey. Health Policy, 105448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105448
Guadalupe, C., & DeShong, H. L. (2025). Personality and coping: A systematic review of recent literature. Personality and Individual Differences, 239, 113119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113119
Guilmette, M., Mulvihill, K., Villemaire-Krajden, R., & Barker, E. T. (2019). Past and present participation in extracurricular activities is associated with adaptive self-regulation of goals, academic success, and emotional wellbeing among university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 73, 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.04.006
Hejazi, E., Abbasi, F., Hakimzadeh, R., & Ejei, J. (2021). Flourishing Profile of Gifted Students Based on Seligman's PERMA Model: A Study of Gender Differences. Journal of New Thoughts on Education, 17(4), 221-240. https://doi.org/10.22051/JONTOE.2021.32307.3095
Huang, L., & Zhang, T. (2022). Perceived social support, psychological capital, and subjective well-being among college students in the context of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 31(5), 563-574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00608-3
Jhang, F. H. (2019). Life satisfaction trajectories of junior high school students in poverty: Exploring the role of self-efficacy and social support. Journal of adolescence, 75, 85-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.07.011
Joshanloo, M. (2025). Thirteen years of subjective well-being: Within-person association between positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 23(3), 2167-2179. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s11469-023-01223-7
Kerpelman, J. L., & Pittman, J. F. (2018). Erikson and the relational context of identity: Strengthening connections with attachment theory. Identity, 18(4), 306-314. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/15283488.2018.1523726
Li, C., Xia, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Relationship between subjective well-being and depressive disorders: Novel findings of cohort variations and demographic heterogeneities. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1022643. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1022643
Liu, Y., Zeng, B., & Chang, L. (2025). Examining the links between sense of belonging, conflict resolution skills, emotional intelligence, and life satisfaction in Chinese universities. BMC psychology, 13(1), 431. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02742-9
Ma, Y., & Liu, Z. (2024). Emotion regulation and well-being as factors contributing to lessening burnout among Chinese EFL teachers. Acta Psychologica, 245, 104219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104219
Mammadov, S., Wang, S., & Lu, Z. (2024). Personality types and their associations with psychological resilience, coping with stress, and life satisfaction among undergraduate students: A latent profile analysis approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 222, 112599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2024.112599
Mannerström, R., Muotka, J., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2019). Associations between identity processes and success in developmental tasks during the transition from emerging to young adulthood. Journal of Youth Studies, 22(9), 1289-1307. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/13676261.2019.1571179
Maqsood, A., Gul, S., Noureen, N., & Yaswi, A. (2024). Dynamics of perceived stress, stress appraisal, and coping strategies in an evolving educational landscape. Behavioral Sciences, 14(7), 532. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070532
Marquand, A. F., Kia, S. M., Zabihi, M., Wolfers, T., Buitelaar, J. K., & Beckmann, C. F. (2019). Conceptualizing mental disorders as deviations from normative functioning. Molecular psychiatry, 24(10), 1415-1424. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0441-1
Mastorci, F., Lazzeri, M. F. L., Vassalle, C., & Pingitore, A. (2024). The transition from childhood to adolescence: Between health and vulnerability. Children, 11(8), 989. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080989
Meléndez, J. C., Satorres, E., Cujiño, M. A., & Reyes, M. F. (2019). Big Five and psychological and subjective well-being in Colombian older adults. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 82, 88-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2019.01.016
Obeidat, B. F., Haimed, S., & AlKhaza'leh, M. S. (2024). Students' well‐being and school climate: A bibliometric analysis. Review of Education, 12(2), e3486. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3486
Oddone Paolucci, E., Jacobsen, M., Nowell, L., Freeman, G., Lorenzetti, L., Clancy, T., ... & Lorenzetti, D. L. (2021). An exploration of graduate student peer mentorship, social connectedness and well-being across four disciplines of study. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 12(1), 73-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/SGPE-07-2020-0041
Peng, A., Patterson, M. M., & Wang, H. (2023). Attachment, empathy, emotion regulation, and subjective well-being in young women. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 84, 101497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2022.101497
Sarzhanova, G., & Nurgabdeshov, A. (2025). Mapping psychological well-being in education: A systematic review of key dimensions and an integrative conceptual framework. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 9(3), 327-349. https://doi.org/10.33902/jpr.202534832
Schoemaker, J., Vertommen, T., Stevens, V., & de Boer, W. (2024). Estimating and monetizing the causal effect of severe interpersonal violence against children in sports on subjective well-being. Child Abuse & Neglect, 151, 106719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106719
Serban-Oprescu, G. L., Dedu, S., & Serban-Oprescu, A. T. (2019). An integrative approach to assess subjective well-being. A case study on Romanian university students. Sustainability, 11(6), 1639. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061639
Shen, H., Ye, X., Zhang, J., & Huang, D. (2024). Investigating the role of perceived emotional support in predicting learners’ well-being and engagement mediated by motivation from a self-determination theory framework. Learning and motivation, 86, 101968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2024.101968
Sood, S., & Sharma, A. (2020). Resilience and psychological well-being of higher education students during COVID-19: The mediating role of perceived distress. Journal of Health Management, 22(4), 606-617. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063420983111
Tomás, J. M., Gutiérrez, M., Pastor, A. M., & Sancho, P. (2020). Perceived social support, school adaptation and adolescents’ subjective well-being. Child Indicators Research, 13(5), 1597-1617. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09717-9
Toubassi, D., Schenker, C., Roberts, M., & Forte, M. (2023). Professional identity formation: linking meaning to well-being. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 28(1), 305-318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10146-2
Vantieghem, W., & Van Houtte, M. (2020). The impact of gender variance on adolescents’ wellbeing: does the school context matter? Journal of Homosexuality, 67(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1522813
Wilson, J. M., Weiss, A., & Shook, N. J. (2020). Mindfulness, self-compassion, and savoring: Factors that explain the relation between perceived social support and well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 152, 109568. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109568
Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024). Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/edu0000833
Wu, Y. J., & Becker, M. (2023). Association between school contexts and the development of subjective well-being during adolescence: a context-sensitive longitudinal study of life satisfaction and school satisfaction. Journal of youth and adolescence, 52(5), 1039-1057. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01727-w
Yih, J., Uusberg, A., Taxer, J. L., & Gross, J. J. (2019). Better together: a unified perspective on appraisal and emotion regulation. Cognition and Emotion, 33(1), 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2018.1504749
Zalazar-Jaime, M. F., Moretti, L. S., & Medrano, L. A. (2022). Contribution of academic satisfaction judgments to subjective well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 772346. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.772346
Zhang, Y., Dong, K., & Zhao, G. (2021). The mediating role of social connectedness in the effect of positive personality, alexithymia and emotional granularity on life satisfaction: analysis based on a structural equation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, 110473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110473
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luna Nuranis Zakiah, Maya Masyita Suherman, Tb. Moh. Irma Ari Irawan, Rina Marlina, Muhammad Amirullah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: (1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal; (2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal; (3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.





