Psychological Well-Being of College Students: Validation of the Personal-Social Responsibility and Wellness Module

Abstract

The present study is the second phase of an earlier study that identified the psychological well-being (PWB) of college students in a state university in Quezon Province, Philippines. The findings of the previous study served as the basis for formulating and developing the Personal-Social Responsibility and Wellness (PSRW) course module, which is integrated into the new college curricula as a 3-unit subject. The course module aims to increase wellness and well-being among the students to cope with the demands of college life positively. This present study is the validation of the developed module. The validation is carried out using a combination of an ex post facto research that intends to measure the effectiveness of the course module in enhancing the PWB of the students and a predictive cross-sectional study to ascertain the socio-demographic predictors of PWB. This research involves 676 first-year students from six colleges of the main campus and eight satellite campuses of the university. Using Ryff’s PWB scale as pre- and post-test, paired sample t-test indicated a significant change in the six PWB dimensions such as autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance, and overall PWB of the students. Henceforth, results suggest the continued use of the developed evidence-informed module. A follow-up study focusing on qualitative data on how the module improved student PWB is recommended. Future studies may also explore factors that contribute to the effectiveness of the module.