A cross-sectional study of university students’ wellbeing: What to focus on?

Titolo Rivista PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Autori/Curatori Valentina Biscaldi, Stefano Delbosq, Michela Ghelfi, Jessica Serio, Luca Piero Vecchio, Kevin Dadaczynski, Orkan Okan, Veronica Velasco
Anno di pubblicazione 2023 Fascicolo 2023/3
Lingua Inglese Numero pagine 20 P. 105-124 Dimensione file 256 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2023-003006
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Qui sotto puoi vedere in anteprima la prima pagina di questo articolo.

Se questo articolo ti interessa, lo puoi acquistare (e scaricare in formato pdf) seguendo le facili indicazioni per acquistare il download credit. Acquista Download Credits per scaricare questo Articolo in formato PDF

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

The university represents an environment rich in both risks and opportunities. The health of university students is a complex issue, and it was even more challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to expand existing literature findings by investigating the role of sociodemographic, individual, and contextual factors on health outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted: an online survey was distributed to Italian univer-sity students (N = 614) in 2020. Two hierarchical regression models were conducted using with Wellbeing and Health complaints as outcomes. Predictors included sex, subjective socio-economic status, future anxiety, Sense of Coherence (SoC), Digital Health Literacy (DHLI) and University satisfaction. The results were partially in line with previous literature. Sociodemographic variables appeared to have a small role in predicting health outcomes. Being female was associated with more Health complaints, while no difference in Wellbeing emerged. The addition of individual variables improved both models significantly. In line with other studies, FA showed a nega-tive association with health outcomes, while SoC showed a positive association. University satisfaction showed a protective association with both outcomes. Future Anxiety presented the strongest associations, while DHLI had no association with health outcomes. This confirmed the literature’s findings that different factors can influence university stu-dents’ wellbeing and that universities can have an important role in promoting it.

L’università rappresenta un ambiente ricco di rischi e opportunità. La salute degli studenti universitari è una questione complessa, messa ancor più a dura prova dalla pandemia COVID-19. Il presente studio si proponeva di ampliare i risultati della letteratura esistente indagando il ruolo dei fattori sociodemografici, individuali e contestuali sugli esiti di salute. È stato condotto uno studio trasversale: un questionario online è stato distribuito nel 2020 a studenti universitari italiani (N=614). Sono stati condotti due modelli di regressione gerar-chica utilizzando come esiti il benessere e i sintomi psicosomatici. I predittori includevano: sesso, stato socioeconomico soggettivo, ansia del futuro, senso di coerenza (SoC), Digital Health Literacy (DHLI) e soddisfazione universitaria. I risultati sono parzialmente in linea con la letteratura precedente. Le variabili sociodemo-grafiche sembrano avere un ruolo limitato nel predire i risultati di salute. Il sesso femminile è stato associato a un maggior numero di sintomi psicosomatici, mentre non è emersa alcuna differenza per il benessere. L’aggiunta di variabili individuali ha migliorato significativamente entrambi i modelli. In linea con altri studi, l’Ansia del futuro è associata negativamente ai risul-tati di salute, mentre il SoC ha mostrato un’associazione positiva. La soddisfazione universita-ria è associata positivamente a entrambe le dimensioni. L’ansia del futuro ha presentato le as-sociazioni più forti, mentre la DHLI non risulta associata ad alcun esito di salute. Questo studio conferma i risultati della letteratura sul fatto che diversi fattori concorrono nell’influenzare il benessere degli studenti universitari e che l’università può avere un ruolo importante nel promuoverlo.

Keywords:benessere, studenti universitari, soddisfazione, senso di coerenza, COVID-health literacy network.

  1. Sukys, S., Cesnaitiene, V. J., and Ossowsky, Z. M. (2017). Is health education at university associated with students’ health literacy? evidence from cross-sectional study applying HLS-EU-Q. BioMed Research International, 2017. DOI: 10.1155/2017/851684
  2. Suldo S., Thalji A. and Ferron J. (2011). Longitudinal academic outcomes predicted by early adolescents’ subjective well-being, psychopathology, and mental health status yielded from a dual factor model. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1): 17-30. DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2010.53677
  3. Topala I. and Tomozii S. (2014). Learning Satisfaction: Validity and Reliability Testing for Students’ Learning Satisfaction Questionnaire (SLSQ). Procedia ‒ Social and Behavioral Sciences, 128: 380-386.
  4. Topp C.W., Østergaard S.D., Søndergaard S. and Bech P. (2015). The WHO-5 well-being index: A systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3): 167-176. DOI: 10.1159/00037658
  5. Tsouros A.D., Dowding G., Thompson J. and Dooris M. (1998). Health promoting universities: Concept, experience and framework for action. In World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/108095
  6. Van Der Vaart R. and Drossaert C. (2017). Development of the digital health literacy instrument: Measuring a broad spectrum of health 1.0 and health 2.0 skills. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(1): e27.
  7. Adler N.E., Epel E.S., Castellazzo G. and Ickovics J.R. (2000). Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy white women. Health Psychology, 19(6): 586. DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.19.6.58
  8. Adler N.E. and Snibbe A.C. (2003). The Role of Psychosocial Processes in Explaining the Gradient Between Socioeconomic Status and Health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4): 119-123. DOI: 10.1111/1467-8721.0124
  9. Velasco V., Gragnano A. and Vecchio L.P. (2021). Health literacy levels among italian students: Monitoring and promotion at school. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19): 9943.
  10. Vogt K., Jenny G.J. and Bauer G.F. (2013). Comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness at work: Construct validity of a scale measuring work-related sense of coherence. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(1): 1-8.
  11. WHO (2017). Shanghai declaration on promoting health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Health Promotion International, 32(1).
  12. World Health Forum (1997). Conquering suffering, enriching humanity. In The World Health Report.
  13. World Health Organization (2020). An ad hoc WHO technical consultation managing the COVID-19 infodemic: call for action. In Geneva: World Health Organization: Vol. April 7-8. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  14. Zaleski Z. (1996). Future anxiety: Concept, measurement, and preliminary research. Personality and Individual Differences, 21(2): 165-174. DOI: 10.1016/0191-8869(96)00070-
  15. Amoah P.A., Leung A.Y.M., Parial L.L., Poon A.C.Y., Tong H.H.Y., Ng W.I., Li X., Wong E.M.L., Kor P.P.K. and Molassiotis A. (2021). Digital Health Literacy and Health-Related Well-Being Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Socioeconomic Status Among University Students in Hong Kong and Macao. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 33(5): 613-616. DOI: 10.1177/1010539521101223
  16. Antonovsky A. (1987). The Salutogenic Perspective: Toward a New View of Health and Illness. Advances, 4(1): 47-55.
  17. Barni D. and Tagliabue S. (2005). “Sense of Coherence Scale” di Antonovsky: un contributo alla validazione italiana. TPM. Testing Psicometria Metodologia, 12(3): 151-166.
  18. Berkman N.D., Sheridan S.L., Donahue K.E., Halpern D.J. and Crotty K. (2011). Low health literacy and health outcomes: An updated systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(2): 97-107. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-155-2-201107190-0000
  19. Binkowska-Bury M. and Januszewicz P. (2010). Sense of coherence and health-related behaviour among university students ‒ A questionnaire survey. Central European Journal of Public Health, 18(3).
  20. Bröder J., Okan O., Bauer U., Bruland D., Schlupp S., Bollweg T.M., Saboga-Nunes L., Bond E., Sørensen K., Bitzer E.M., Jordan S., Domanska O., Firnges C., Carvalho G.S., Bittlingmayer U.H., Levin-Zamir D., Pelikan J., Sahrai D., Lenz A., … Pinheiro P. (2017). Health literacy in childhood and youth: A systematic review of definitions and models. BMC Public Health, 17(1): 1-25.
  21. Camussi E., Meneghetti D., Sbarra M.L., Rella R., Grigis P. and Annovazzi C. (2023). What future are you talking about? Efficacy of Life Design Psy-Lab, as career guidance intervention, to support university students’ needs during COVID-19 emergency. Frontiers in Psychology, 13: 1023738.
  22. Capone V., Caso D., Donizzetti A.R. and Procentese F. (2020). University student mentalwell-being during COVID-19 outbreak: What are the relationships between information seeking, perceived risk and personal resources related to the academic context? Sustainability, 12(17): 7039.
  23. Chambel M.J. and Curral L. (2005). Stress in academic life: Work characteristics as predictors of student well-being and performance. Applied Psychology, 54(1): 135-147.
  24. Chu J.J., Khan M.H., Jahn H.J. and Kraemer A. (2016). Sense of coherence and associated factors among university students in China: Cross-sectional evidence. BMC Public Health, 16: 1-11.
  25. Concerto C., Rodolico A., La Rosa V.L., Aiello B., Martinez M., Stuto S., Infortuna C., Fusar-Poli L., Signorelli M.S., Commodari E., Battaglia F. and Aguglia E. (2022). Flourishing or Languishing? Predictors of Positive Mental Health in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public COVID-HL Network (n.d.). https://covid-hl.eu/ Health, 19(23): 15814.
  26. Dadaczynski K., Okan O., Messer M., Leung A.Y.M., Rosário R., Darlington E. and Rathmann K. (2021). Digital Health Literacy and Web-Based Information-Seeking Behaviors of University Students in Germany During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(1): e24097. DOI: 10.2196/2409
  27. Dadaczynski K., Okan O., Messer M. and Rathmann K. (2022). University students’ sense of coherence, future worries and mental health: Findings from the German COVID-HL-survey. Health Promotion International, 37(1): daab070.
  28. Dadaczynski K., Okan O. and Rathmann K. (2020). COVID-19 Health Literacy Survey: University Students (COVID-HL Survey). Questionnaire and Scale Documentation. Public Health Centre Fulda (PHZF) at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences & Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Literacy Research at Bielefeld University, March.
  29. Deindl C., Diehl K., Spallek J., Richter M., Schüttig W., Rattay P., Dragano N. and Pischke C.R. (2023). Self-rated health of university students in Germany–The importance of material, psychosocial, and behavioral factors and the parental socio-economic status. Frontiers in Public Health, 11: 1075142.
  30. Dietz P., Reichel J.L., Edelmann D., Werner A.M., Tibubos A.N., Schäfer M., Simon P., Letzel S. and Pfirrmann D. (2020). A systematic umbrella review on the epidemiology of modifiable health influencing factors and on health promoting interventions among university students. Frontiers in Public Health, 8: 137.
  31. Dodd R.H., Dadaczynski K., Okan O., McCaffery K.J. and Pickles K. (2021). Psychological wellbeing and academic experience of university students in Australia during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3): 866.
  32. Duplaga M. and Grysztar M. (2021). The association between future anxiety, health literacy and the perception of the covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Healthcare, 9(1): 43.
  33. Dziuban C., Moskal P., Thompson J., Kramer L., DeCantis G. and Hermsdorfer A. (2015). Student satisfaction with online learning: Is it a psychological contract? Online Learning, 19(2): 2.
  34. Eriksson M., Lindström B. and Lilja J. (2007). A sense of coherence and health. Salutogenesis in a societal context: Åland, a special case? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 61(8): 684-688.
  35. Gestsdottir S., Gisladottir T., Stefansdottir R., Johannsson E., Jakobsdottir G. and Rognvaldsdottir V. (2021). Health and well-being of university students before and during COVID-19 pandemic: A gender comparison. PLoS ONE, 16(12): e0261346.
  36. Haugland S. and Wold B. (2001). Subjective health complaints in adolescence ‒ Reliability and validity of survey methods. Journal of Adolescence, 24(5): 611-624.
  37. Heiman T. (2004). Examination of the salutogenic model, support resources, coping style, and stressors among israeli university students. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 138(6). DOI: 10.3200/JRLP.138.6.505-52
  38. Holman E.A. and Grisham E.L. (2020). When time falls apart: The public health implications of distorted time perception in the age of COVID-19. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1): S63.
  39. Imhoff R. and Lamberty P. (2020). A Bioweapon or a Hoax? The Link Between Distinct Conspiracy Beliefs about the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak and Pandemic Behavior. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(8): 1110-1118. DOI: 10.1177/194855062093469
  40. Jafari A., Tavakoly Sany S.B. and Peyman N. (2021). The status of health literacy in students aged 6 to 18 old years: A systematic review study. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 50(3): 448.
  41. Jannini T.B., Rossi R., Socci V. and Di Lorenzo G. (2022). Validation of the Dark Future Scale (DFS) for future anxiety on an Italian sample. Journal of Psychopathology, 28(2). DOI: 10.36148/2284-0249-45
  42. Jo W., Lee J., Park J. and Kim Y. (2020). Online information exchange and anxiety spread in the early stage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in South Korea: Structural topic model and network analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(6): e19455. DOI: 10.2196/1945
  43. Kim Y.K., Yu M., Moon S.S., Maleku A., Um M.Y. and Tefera G.M. (2022). Sociodemographic characteristics, preventive behaviors, and the mental health status of social work students in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Work in Mental Health, 20(5): 578-603. DOI: 10.1080/15332985.2022.204787
  44. Leung A.Y.M., Parial L.L., Tolabing M.C., Sim T., Mo P., Okan O. and Dadaczynski K. (2022). Sense of coherence mediates the relationship between digital health literacy and anxiety about the future in aging population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a path analysis. Aging & Mental Health, 26(3): 544-553. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2020.187020
  45. Lorini C., Velasco V., Bonaccorsi G., Dadaczynski K., Okan O., Zanobini P. and Vecchio L.P. (2022). Validation of the COVID-19 Digital Health Literacy Instrument in the Italian Language: A Cross-Sectional Study of Italian University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10): 6247.
  46. Marmot M., Friel S., Bell R., Houweling T.A. and Taylor S. (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. The Lancet, 372(9650): 1661-1669. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61690-
  47. McLean C.P. and Anderson E.R. (2009). Brave men and timid women? A review of the gender differences in fear and anxiety. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(6): 496-505.
  48. Natvig G.K., Hanestad B.R. and Samdal O. (2006). The role of the student: Salutogenic or pathogenic? International Journal of Nursing Practice, 12(5): 280-287.
  49. Norman C.D. and Skinner H.A. (2006). eHealth literacy: Essential skills for consumer health in a networked world. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 8(2): e506.
  50. Ozamiz-Etxebarria N., Dosil-Santamaria M., Picaza-Gorrochategui M. and Idoiaga-Mondragon N. (2020). Stress, anxiety, and depression levels in the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in a population sample in the northern Spain. Cadernos de Saude Publica, 36(4). DOI: 10.1590/0102-311X0005402
  51. Paakkari L., Torppa M., Mazur J., Boberova Z., Sudeck G., Kalman M. and Paakkari O. (2020). A Comparative Study on Adolescents’ Health Literacy in Europe: Findings from the HBSC Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10): 3543.
  52. Parahoo S.K., Santally M.I., Rajabalee Y. and Harvey H.L. (2016). Designing a predictive model of student satisfaction in online learning. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 26(1): 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/08841241.2015.108351
  53. Petrillo G., Capone V., Caso D. and Keyes C.L.M. (2015). The Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC–SF) as a Measure of Well-Being in the Italian Context. Social Indicators Research, 121(1): 291-312.
  54. Presti A.L., Capone V., Aversano A. and Akkermans J. (2022). Career Competencies and Career Success: On the Roles of Employability Activities and Academic Satisfaction During the School-to-Work Transition. Journal of Career Development, 49(1): 107-125. DOI: 10.1177/089484532199253
  55. Quansah F., Ankomah F., Agormedah E.K., Abieraba R.S.K., Srem-Sai M., Hagan J.E., Okan O., Dadaczynski K. and Schack T. (2022). COVID-digital health literacy and subjective well-being of students in Ghana: Mediation-moderation analyses. Health Science Reports, 5(6): e916.
  56. Quintiliani L., Sisto A., Vicinanza F., Curcio G. and Tambone V. (2022). Resilience and psychological impact on Italian university students during COVID-19 pandemic. Distance learning and health. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 27(1): 69-80. DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2021.189126
  57. Renshaw T.L. and Cohen A.S. (2014). Life Satisfaction as a Distinguishing Indicator of College Student Functioning: Further Validation of the Two-Continua Model of Mental Health. Social Indicators Research, 117(1): 319-334.
  58. Rivadeneira M.F., Salvador C., Araujo L., Caicedo-Gallardo J.D., Cóndor J., Torres-Castillo A.L., Miranda-Velasco M.J., Dadaczynski K. and Okan O. (2023). Digital health literacy and subjective wellbeing in the context of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study among university students in Ecuador. Frontiers in Public Health, 10: 1052423.
  59. Rosário R., Martins M.R.O., Augusto C., Silva M.J., Martins S., Duarte A., Fronteira I., Ramos N., Okan O. and Dadaczynski K. (2020). Associations between covid-19-related digital health literacy and online information-seeking behavior among portuguese university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23): 8987.
  60. Rubin M. (2021). Explaining the association between subjective social status and mental health among university students using an impact ratings approach. SN Social Sciences, 1(1): 20.
  61. Runk L., Durham J., Vongxay V. and Sychareun V. (2017). Measuring health literacy in university students in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Health Promotion International, 32(2): 360-368.
  62. Silva D.A.L., Giusti G., Rampasso I.S., Junior A.C.F., Marins M.A.S. and Anholon R. (2021). The environmental impacts of face-to-face and remote university classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27: 1975-1988.
  63. Son C., Hegde S., Smith A., Wang X. and Sasangohar F. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health in the United States: Interview survey study. In Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9): e21279. DOI: 10.2196/2127
  64. Sørensen K., Van Den Broucke S., Fullam J., Doyle G., Pelikan J., Slonska Z. and Brand H. (2012). Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health, 12: 1-13. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-8
  65. Šrol J., Ballová Mikušková E. and Čavojová V. (2021). When we are worried, what are we thinking? Anxiety, lack of control, and conspiracy beliefs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35(3): 720-729.
  66. Streiner D., Norman G. and Cairney J. (2016). Health measurement scales: a practical guide to their development and use (5th edition). Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 40(3). DOI: 10.1111/1753-6405.1248
  67. Suárez-Reyes, M., Muñoz Serrano, M., and Van Den Broucke, S. (2019). How do universities implement the Health Promoting University concept? Health Promotion International, 34(5): 1014-1024.

Valentina Biscaldi, Stefano Delbosq, Michela Ghelfi, Jessica Serio, Luca Piero Vecchio, Kevin Dadaczynski, Orkan Okan, Veronica Velasco, A cross-sectional study of university students’ wellbeing: What to focus on? in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 3/2023, pp 105-124, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2023-003006