Psychological
wellbeing is an aspect of personal wellbeing which includes understanding of an
individual’s persistent happiness, satisfaction with life and balance between
positive and negative emotion (Elhaam, 2015). According to Hansen and Hausen
(2006) Psychological wellbeing is a state of mental health in which the
individual recognizes ones’s ability and use them effectively and productively
and it is useful to the community that such an individual finds himself. In general.
Psychological wellbeing is to create mental health for the prevention of mental
illness, controlling the cause factors through early detection, and prevention
of factors resulting from mental illness, recurrence and creating a healthy
environment in making the appropriate human relation.
Ryff
and Keyes (1995) proposed a model of psychological wellbeing in the
last decade ;a model, which was widely used in the world by researchers
such as (Clark, 2001, Dierendonek, 2005; Cheny and Chan, 2005; Lindfors,
2006), defines psychological wellbeing as a multi component concept and
including: Autonomy, Self Acceptance Environmental Mastery, Purpose
in life, Positive relation with others and Personal Growth.
·
Autonomy: this
is described as the ability to exhibit autonomous functioning,
and resistance to enculturation. The fully functioning person is also
described as having internal locus of evaluation, whereby one does not
look to others for approval but evaluates oneself by personal standards.
Closely related to this is Individuation which is seen to involve a
deliverance from convention, in which the person no longer clings to the
collective fears, believes and laws of the masses.
·
Self Acceptance: this is defined as a central feature of
mental health as well as characteristics of self actualization, optimal
functioning and maturity. It is feelings of satisfaction with one's self despite deficiencies and
regardless of past behaviours and choices. Life span theorists also emphasises the
importance of acceptance of self and one’s past life. Thus, holding
positive attitude towards oneself emerges as the central characteristics
of positive psychological functioning and positive relation with others.
Many of the preceding theories emphasize the importance of warmth,
trust, interpersonal relations.
·
Environmental Mastery: This
is the sense that we are able to have an influence on the events in one’s
life. It symbolizes an individual’s ability to manage or create a suitable
environment to accommodate his or her own personal needs and values and
create an environment suitable to their own psychic condition.
·
Purpose in life: mental health is defined to include belief that gives one the
feeling that there is a purpose and meaning to life. This definition of
maturity also emphasizes a clear comprehension of life’s purpose, a sense
of directness, and intentionality.
·
Positive Relations with Others: this is the degree to which someone has
warmth, satisfaction, trusting relationship with others. It is concerned
with the welfare of others. This entails an individual being capable of
showing strong empathy, affection, intimacy and understanding, the give
and take of human relationship.
·
Personal Growth: Optimal psychological functioning requires not only that one achieves
the prior characteristics, but also that one continues to develop
ones potentials, to grow and expand as a person. The need to actualize
oneself oneself and realize one’s potentialities is central to the
clinical perspectives on personal growth. Openness to experience, for
example is a key characteristics of fully functioning person. Such an
individual is continually developing and becoming, rather than achieving a
fixed state wherein all problems are solved (Ryff, 1989). However,
psychological well being of Undergraduates is seen as the functionalbility
of Undergraduates in the six areas of positive functions, during their
formative years as a student of a higher institution of learning like
Universities , Polytechnics or colleges of education in a bid to obtain
their first Degree (Bsc /Hnd honours). These areas as 2 mentioned
above are: Autonomy, Self Acceptance, Environmental Mastery, Purpose
in Life, Positive relations with others and Personal Growth. The
years that someone spends in college are often one of the most
stressful periods; Especially the beginning of college and often the
transition from childhood to adulthood, (Burris, Brechting, Carlson,
Salsman, 2009). Often these stressors can throw students off track,
causing a decrease in their psychological wellbeing, (Chao,
2012). Mental health was shown as a concern through several studies.
Previous research such as (Bewick, Koutsopoulou, Miles, Slaa, &
Barkmam, 2010) pinpointed financial debt and/or concerns as a factor that
comes into play in a student’s psychological wellbeing especially while a
student is enrolled in a college program. Stressors that college students
may encounter can ultimately be a factor in the development of issues such
as, concentration difficulty, fatigue, eating disorders, anxiety, and
other psychiatric illnesses (Burris, Brechting, Carlson, & Salsman,
2009). When psychological distress interrupts one's life, educational tasks
may be placed on hold or even forgotten. Wellbeing and adjustment to
college was associated with incoming college student's individuation
from parents (Yelle, Kenyon, & Koerner, 2009). Psychological
wellbeing increased with high leisure time and physical
activity among University students. Hence the best wellbeing oriented
lifestyle was to endorse more leisuretime & physical activity
into universities (Castillio, MoliniaGarcia, & 3 Queralt,
2011). According to Burris, Brechting, Carlson, and Salsman (2009),
female students were more likely to report seeking out and receiving care
for psychological issues when compared to their male student
counterparts. University students represent the future of families,
communities, and countries. They also face the stresses of achieving
success in their academic goals despite the financial constraints that
many students report. University education is
a period of increased responsibility for choices and healthy practices.
Lifestyle characterised by unhealthy practices might not show an effect on
health in the short and interim terms, but such habits‘could persist into
middle and old age to inflict health hazards later in life. Indeed it is
challenging for adults to modify the potentially harmful habits instigated
in their youth. This is particularly relevant when unhealthy behaviours
cluster together (possibly leading to comorbidities later in life).
Indeed studies (Walid El
Ansari, Christiane, Sherrill, Xiaoling, Sian , Shân , Jill, Adetunji,
Mary, Pat , Ceri & Andi Mabhala 2011) have suggested that university
students‘ physical and psychological/mental health and wellbeing are
important and comprise a wide range of aspects. Some research showed that
university students reported more health complaints than their working
peers, but did not appear to seek help for these problems (Walid El Ansari
et al 2011). A high prevalence of such complaints has also been documented
in university students from different Universities in Nigeria which
included nervousness, headache and back ache or neck/shoulder ache, but
comparative data from the Nigeria are lacking. Poor ratings of one‘s
perceived health, along with self reported symptoms are often
mirrored in unfavourable ratings of one‘s quality of life. Not surprisingly,
students in Sweden reported lower perceived quality of life when compared
with their working peers, and similar findings have been reported in the UK.
Overall, it could be argued that psychosomatic health complaints and
impairments in quality of life observed in university students might be
associated with study related burdens and stressors. Few studies including
(Mikolajczyk, R.T.; Maxwell, A.E.; El Ansari, W.; Naydenova, V.; Stock,
C.; Ilieva, S.; Dudziak, U.; Naydova. 2008) have examined the perceived
burdens of university students, such as the challenges of achieving good
grades and competition, career and future achievements, the many demands
and deadlines of course works and academic assessments, as well as the
financial and health related burdens and their impact on health .
Mikolajczyk, R.T.; et al (2008) concluded that perceived burdens were
positively associated with higher depression scores among students, not only
by mediation through perceived stress but also directly. Although
university students are confronted with potential stressors as outlined
above, it has also been reported that the majority of students have a high
level of social support. Certainly, social support has 5 been viewed
as a potential buffer against harmful effects of psychological stress and
has therefore the potential of being a resource for health in this
population group. Factors that influence Psychological wellbeing in
undergraduate students include stress, mindfulness, self efficacy, resilience,
Financial constraints, Religiosity, Coping strategies, psychological
adjustment, Emotional intelligence and social support in university
students. Research suggests that Individuals who experience a greater
sense of wellbeing are more able to learn and assimilate information
in effective ways; more likely to engage in healthy and fulfilling social
behaviours; more likely to invest in their own and
others’ wellbeing and in the sustainability of the planet, as they
take up their social, professional and leadership roles in adulthood (Awartani,
Whitman & Gordon, 2008). it is trite to say that the period of life as
an undergraduate of any Higher institution of learning is most times a
difficult period that is filled with environmental, emotional
and psychological stressors that threaten the physical and psychological
wellbeing of individuals, which may frequently leads to burnout,
Inferiority complex, depression, schizophrenia, academic failure and
general life dissatisfaction. Therefore the maintenance of psychological
wellbeing during this phase cannot be overstated; hence the emergence
of this study that seeks to identify Emotional Intelligence and
social support as predictors of psychological
wellbeing. 6 Emotional Intelligence is the ability or tendency to
perceive, understand, regulate and harness emotions adoptively in self and
others. Emotional intelligence is a dynamic construct influenced by
diverse biological, psychological, and social factors. A good deal of
research has been conducted on emotional intelligence and it was found to
be appearing as an important factor in the prediction of personal,
academic and career success. (Nishat Afroz 2016). There are currently
two predominant models of Emotional Intelligence the Mixed and Ability
models (Mayer, Roberts & Barsade, 2008). Mixed models describe EI as
a broad conception of intelligence that combines social skills, traits,
and dispositional behaviour. On the other hand, Mayer & Salovey (1997)
ability model of EI involves the ability to carry out accurate reasoning
about emotions and the ability to use emotions and emotional knowledge to
enhance thought, thus enabling the subject to solve social problems and to
adapt effectively to the environment (Mayer, Roberts & Barsade, 2008).
It is to be noted that in the definition of EI, these authors distinguish four
specific skills: (1) The ability to identify and express emotions; (2) The
ability to use emotions in decision making; (3) The ability to
understand emotions, and; (4) The ability to regulate emotions, both in
oneself and in others. The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) was
first proposed by Mayer & Salovey (1990) which was then popularized by
Goleman: Why it can matter more than 7 IQ". Since then, this
area has got much attention in the field of healthcare delivery systems,
leadership, human resource management, organizational behaviour Positive Psychology as a whole. Emotional Intelligence came up from the work
of social intelligence by Thorndike (1920) & Gardner’s (1983) concept
of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence. Dimensions of emotional
intelligence comprises four abilities, Appraisal and Expression of Emotion
(own and others), Use of Emotions and Emotional Management (own and
others) (Wong & Law, 2002). Appraisal and expression of emotions is
the first factor of EI and is the ability to properly determine and
express one’s own emotions as well as to be sympathetic, appraise and
express emotions of others (Goleman, 2002). Every individual’s
ability varies in precisely identifying, appraising and expressing his own
emotions as well as the emotions experienced by others. Some people are
attentive of their feelings they experience and can express their emotions
whereas, some people cannot express their feelings and emotions or they
are unaware of their emotions (Zhou & George, 2003). A recent line of
research has focused on the unique contributions of EI in explaining the
psychological adjustment and Psychological wellbeing of
different collectives while controlling for classical constructs like
stress and depression (Zeidner, Matthews & Roberts, 2012). The results
of this research indicate that EI is negatively related to stress and depression
(AugustoLanda et al., 2008; Salguero, Extremera & 8 Fernandez
Berrocal, 2012), and positively related to various indicators of
Psychological wellbeing (Gallagher & VellaBrodrick, 2008;
Por et al., 2011). Studies on emotional intelligence with respect to
various psychosocial correlates have been found in a variety of fields.
Empirical studies investigating the relationship of emotional intelligence
with numerous psychological and psychosocial factors were reported by
several researchers and simultaneously revealing the significance
of emotional intelligence and its beneficial aspects with remarkable
contribution in the field of interpersonal relationships, success in work
and personal life, health psychology, managing occupational stress,
academic field, improving personality, enhancing performance and many more
positive behavior patterns (Gallagher & VellaBrodrick, 2008;
Mavroveli, Petrides, Reiffe, & Baker, 2007; Van Rooy & Viswesvaran,
2004; Schute, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, & Dornheim,
1998;Adeyemo, 2005; Tsaousis & Nikolaou,2005; Trinidad & Johnson,
2001; Brackett & Mayer, 2003; Asha & Hangal, 2001). In spite
of the technological advances in the last 30 years, today’s
University Undergraduates must still contend with aspects that technology
cannot address: emotional self awareness, interpersonal skills,
adaptability, impulse control, and many other uniquely human challenges.
Even academically competent students may be in jeopardy when entering
college if certain aspects of emotional competence are lacking. 9 Recent
studies (Crossman, 2007; LaCivita, 2003; Parker et al., 2005; Schutte &
Malouff, 2002) suggest that students are under an increasing level of
stress and their ability to manage that stress, adapt to a rapidly
changing and dynamic environment while managing to keep impulse control in
check are all factors that may jeopardize a first year student’s
successful transition to the second year of college. Understanding
emotional intelligence, using a reliable assessment of emotional
intelligence, and studying the correlation of traditional measures of
academic success such as GPA and persistence might help institutions
identify students who are at risk of dropping out or failing for
non academic reasons beyond those which have already been identified such
as financial hardship. Identifying at risk students might be particularly
significant at the State Universities where even fewer studies related to
emotional intelligence have been conducted. Social support can be
described as the Emotional Instrument or tangible aid exchanged between
members of a social network (House, Landis & Umberson 1988) Sherboume
and Hays (1990) found an indirect effect of social Support
on Psychological health. Low levels of social support are associated with
increased level of depression, complicated grief, poorer coping levels,
lower levels of quality of life, Poorer Mental Health and decreased
psychological wellbeing (fry, 2001; Oto, 2003, Lee,
2001). 10 The concept of social support that is possible to be positively
efficient upon psychological wellbeing of individuals has grabbed the
attention of researchers since the mid1970s (G. Zimet, Dahlem, S.
Zimet, & Farley, 1988). Social support can be defined as the resources
provided to the individuals by the others (Cohen & Syme, 1985). Social
support can also be seen as the help provided to the individuals by the
individuals creating the social network. For that reason, social support
creates the functional dimension of social network
(MartínezHernáez, CarcellerMaicas, DiGiacomo, & Ariste,
2016). Social support can be generally categorized into different types
as emotional, instrumental, informational and evaluation support (Kef,
1997; Langford, Bowsher, Maloney, & Lillis, 1997; Wong et al., 2014).
This social support can come from various sources such as Families,
friends and other special people create the most important social support
sources of individuals (You & Lu, 2014; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, &
Farley, 1988). Lakey and Cohen (2000) stated that Social support is
strongly associated with self-evaluation and that perceived support
promotes selfesteem and thereby promotes psychological
wellbeing. Evidence for this perspective applied to the
relationship between Social support and academic performance was found
among undergraduate students by (Cutrona, Cole, Colangelo, Assouline &
Russell, 1994) and among students in grades 1–2, 4–5 and 8–9 by Levitt et
al. (1994). Cutrona et al. found parental support 11 to predict
academic performance in a direct way, but this prediction was the result
of one single component of parental support: reassurance of worth. This
suggests that social support may enhance students’ self esteem and
thereby indirectly influences academic performance. This indirect
relationship between social support and academic performance through self esteem was
also found by Levitt et al. Cutrona et al. furthermore stated that support
from peers and romantic partners, but particularly support from parents
would enhance Psychological wellbeing and therefore would add to the
explained variance in academic performance. Parental support is supposed to
be most influential, because a lifetime of parental support contributes to
the development of high self worth and self efficacy, and allows
the acquisition of skills and self confidence to master new situations and
cope effectively with challenges (Cutrona et al. 1994; DuBois et al. 1994;
Dubow et al. 1991; Levitt et al. 1994). Research has shown that social
support plays an important role in managing psychological problems. Lack
of social support has been found to be one of the factors that lead to
many psychological problems among students. Support from family
and friends have been found to reduce the impact of psychological problems
among students (Calvete and ConnorSmith, 2006). Villanova and Bownas
(1984) for example found that social support could help students to cope
with everyday life stressor and lighten the burden of academic workload.
Without enough support from family and 12 friends, they would be in
trouble and are vulnerable to depression, stress and anxiety. This finding
was supported by Dollete et al. (2004) who found that social support
could act as a protective factor that could decrease psychological
problems among students such as stress. A study by Wentzel (1998)
found that social support provides motivational influence on students’
performance. This study is supported by the findings by Quomma and
Greenberg (1994) who found that less social support from these
sources would lead to failure. Furthermore, a negative correlation between
anxiety, stress, and depression, and social support has been reported by
Nahid and Sarkis (1994) in that low level of support have been associated
with high level of anxiety, stress, and depression in college students.
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