Stressful life events and students' psychological well-being

Life in South Arica is considered stressful due to the impact of a variety of socio-economic and political factors, as well as the high incidence of violence and crime. The role that stressful life events play in impeding well-being is well documented and yet it remains the focus of research in light of the significant implications that such events have for individuals functioning across various contexts. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore whether stressful life events are related to and could be used to predict students psychological well-being. Participants were 126 students from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds who were studying at various universities in South Africa. They anonymously and voluntarily completed the Recent Life Changes (RLC) subscale of the Brief Stress and Coping Inventory (BSCI) and Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI). The results revealed that there was a significant negative correlation berween the total scores of the RLC subscale and POWSI (r= -.30,p <.001) as well as between the constituents of these measures. It was also found that the event categories of the RLC subscale significantly predicted the overall level of students psychological well-being. F (5. 120) = 4.28. P <.05), and that the health-related stressors had the highest predictive value among the other predictors (t = -2.58. P <.05). These findings show that a wide range of stressful life experiences, and particularly health-related issues are implicated in and contribute to the worsening of students psychological well-being. The study informs a need for a greater focus on students lifestyle including the enhancement of their coping strategies and recreational activities.