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.
