An assessment of health and well-being among undergraduate students: a study at the faculty of applied sciences, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Psychological well-being of undergraduate students of South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Faculty of Applied Sciences, was assessed in this study. It aimed to explore stress, exam anxiety, emotional support, sleep quality, physical activity and lifestyle, namely caffeine, sedatives and psychoactive substance use, as variables found to affect to well- being. All three academic years (2019–2020, 2020–2021, and 2021–2022) participated in the cross-sectional survey (N = 273). Self-reported mental health was measured with the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14). Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression with a backward elimination strategy. The average WHO-5 well-being score was 53.83 ± 9.48. Approximately 34.1% of the students reported poor or very bad health. There were four major factors identified by the regression analysis: stress, anxiety during written and practical tests (negative associations), and sleep quality (positive associations). The model explained a substantial proportion of variance in well-being. There was no significant association between the use of coffee and psychoactive substances and well-being, but weak positive correlations with sedative or sleeping drug use may reflect short-term coping mechanisms rather than true improvements in mental health. The researchers found that exam-related anxiety is affected not only by perceived stress and poor sleep, but also by students’ expected grade and how they fare in comparison with their peers. . Interventions such as academic counselling, promotion of sleep hygiene, and stress management programs are recommended to enhance students’ resilience and psychological well-being.