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College Student Well-Being: Explaining Academic and Behavioral Outcomes from a Representative College Student Sample

Author

Listed:
  • Steven Zhou

    (Purdue University)

  • H. Anne Weiss

    (Purdue University)

  • Beth McCuskey

    (Purdue University)

  • Louis Tay

    (Purdue University)

Abstract

Recently, positive psychology has focused on measuring and improving college student well-being as a means of combatting growing concerns over student well-being (e.g., rising mental health challenges). Moreover, student well-being should be considered holistically, incorporating a range of measures beyond subjective well-being (SWB) to include aspects of relationships, purpose, and grit. In the present study, we use a novel holistic measure of student well-being, applied to two large samples of students to test its psychometric properties and assess predictive validity of academic and behavioral outcomes (e.g., grades, attendance at courses, student organization involvement). Well-being modestly predicted grades, course attendance, time spent in academic buildings, and student organization involvement. Relative importance analysis found that the grit theme in the well-being measure was the most important, followed by positive and negative SWB.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Zhou & H. Anne Weiss & Beth McCuskey & Louis Tay, 2025. "College Student Well-Being: Explaining Academic and Behavioral Outcomes from a Representative College Student Sample," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 1-37, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-025-00906-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-025-00906-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & Ed Diener & Louis Tay & Cody Xuereb, 2013. "The Objective Benefits of Subjective Well-Being," CEP Discussion Papers dp1236, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. E. Huebner & Rich Gilman, 2002. "An Introduction to the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 115-122, December.
    3. Ru-Jer Wang & Shinyi Lin & Min Tseng & Ming-Hseuh Tsai & Te-Hsin Chang, 2022. "Measuring College Campus Well-Being with Multidimensional Indices: Sustainability of Higher Education in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-13, July.
    4. Ed Diener & Shigehiro Oishi & Louis Tay, 2018. "Advances in subjective well-being research," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 2(4), pages 253-260, April.
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