Preliminary findings from an international study of subjective wellbeing in tertiary students
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Experiencing high levels of subjective wellbeing is a central criterion of positive mental health in all groups of individuals. Wellbeing is not only the result of favourable life circumstances such as academic success and satisfying relationships, but also a predictor and part cause of these outcomes. More specifically, in relation to university students, wellbeing is important for influencing not only their academic outcomes, their attitudinal and career outcomes, but also outcomes that benefit communities and society at large. Religiosity has been implicated in wellbeing. For example a 14-year follow-up study found that attending religious services predicted a 22% reduced risk of developing major depression in adults while another longitudinal study showed that higher self-reported religiosity/spirituality predicted a 90% decreased risk of major depression in adults. This study reports the correlates of subjective wellbeing in an international sample of 1031 tertiary students from Australia, Great Britain, Israel, Germany and Greece using three proxy measures: reported distress symptoms using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), quality of life evaluation using the Kimhi and Eshel 'Recovery from War' Scale, and individual resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Results show a number of significant differences based on ethnicity, religiosity, religious affiliation, gender and discipline area of tertiary study. Findings are discussed in relation to prior research and possible interventions that could be instigated in higher education institutions to help increase student wellbeing.
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International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change
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3
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2201-1323
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3
Pages Count
17
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Primrose Hall Publishing Group
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