Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

While the mental health of university students has been undergoing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies adopt a comprehensive framework to investigate the status of psychological well-being of university students in Hong Kong. To address the research gap, this study answers several research questions: 1) what is the status of the positive and negative psychological well-being in university students under the pandemic? 2) what are the risk and protective factors of the psychological well-being in the ecological system? 3) what are the roles of university service-related factors in the psychological well-being of university students? 4) is students’ psychological well-being different at different stages of the pandemic? This study analysed and consolidated data from three questionnaire surveys (total N = 3,646) conducted during different periods of the pandemic. Validated measures were adopted to assess different indicators of psychological well-being and different risk and protective factors in the ecological system, including pandemic-related factors, intrapersonal and interpersonal factors, and service-related factors. Descriptive analyses revealed higher level of negative mental health in university students. Comparison between different surveys showed that there were improvements in students’ psychological well-being in the late stage of the pandemic. Structural Equation Modelling showed that COVID-19 self-efficacy, positive psychological attributes, positive environmental factors, as well as students’ satisfaction with university services were protective factors of well-being, while COVID-19 related stress and difficulties encountered during the pandemic were risk factors of well-being. This study advances understanding of psychological well-being of university students under the pandemic. It highlights the importance of promoting intrapersonal and interpersonal protective factors and quality of university services for protecting psychological well-being of university students under the pandemic.

Keywords: Psychological well-being, university students, ecological perspective, COVID-19 pandemic, predictors, Hong Kong