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How can Academic Context Variables Contribute to the Personal Well-Being of Higher Education Students?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2017

Célia Palma Figueira ,
Alexandra Marques-Pinto ,
Cicero Roberto Pereira  and
Magda Sofia Roberto
Célia Palma Figueira*
Affiliation:
Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)
Alexandra Marques-Pinto
Affiliation:
Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)
Cicero Roberto Pereira
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal da Paraíba (Brazil)
Magda Sofia Roberto
Affiliation:
Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Célia Palma Figueira. Faculty of Psychology, Universidade de Lisboa. Alameda da Universidade. 1649–013. Lisboa (Portugal). Phone: +351–914071422 (voice). E-mail: cfigueira@fpie.ulisboa.pt
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Abstract

This study analyzed the influence of perceived time pressure, role clarity, working conditions and peer social support on the personal well-being (subjective, psychological and social well-being) of higher education students, in a sample of 128 Portuguese students from the University of Lisbon. A model was proposed which predicts a negative influence of time pressure and a positive influence of role clarity, working conditions and peer social support on students’ personal well-being, throughout the academic year. Data was collected by means of a longitudinal design, at the beginning and end of the academic year, through self-report questionnaires. Structural equation models were used to analyze cross-sectional and cross-lagged relations among the variables. At cross-sectional level, results revealed a good fit to data (CFI = .928; IFI = .931; RMSEA = .060) illustrating that the perception of academic context variables was related to well-being dimensions. At longitudinal level, however, cross-lagged models did not fit so well to the data (CFI = .863; IFI = .869; RMSEA = .058) with both perceptions of time pressure (β = .167; p = .037) and role clarity (β = –.288; p = .031) significantly predicting well-being, but not in the expected direction, encouraging the accomplishment of studies to further a broader understanding of higher education students’ well-being and its predictors. Implications for higher education scholars and practitioners and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

academic context variableacademic yearhigher education studentspersonal well-being
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 20 , 2017 , E43
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2017 

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Footnotes

How to cite this article:

Figueira, C. P., Marques-Pinto, A., Pereira, C. R., & Roberto, M. S. (2017). How can academic context variables contribute to the personal well-being of higher education students? The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 20. eXX. Doi:10.1017/sjp.2017.46

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