Abstract
Predictors of Flourishing in University Students
2016 Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR) Conference Program, p.21
Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR), 2016 (Rockhampton, Australia, 27-Oct-2016–28-Oct-2016)
2016
Abstract
Well-being in university students has received increasing attention in recent years. Whilst definitions vary, there is a general consensus that well-being is a complex, multi-faceted construct incorporating optimal experience and functioning. Distinctions have been made between different aspects of well-being which it is possible to influence through the university experience. These include hedonic well-being, which is characterised by subjective happiness; and eudaimonic wellbeing, which is indicated by objective measures of capabilities and opportunities for optimal functioning. Previous research has combined measures of psychological and subjective wellbeing and introduced the concept of flourishing to describe the highest levels of mental health. More recent work has also integrated hedonist and eudaemonist approaches to define a new flourishing theory of well-being. As a result, it has been proposed that the term flourishing describes a desirable state in which both hedonist and eudaemonist components of well-being are simultaneously present within an individual. The positive outcomes of flourishing are apparent in educational environments, they go beyond self-reported well-being and manifest in positive performance related outcomes. Research has shown that flourishing students experience more positive emotions, greater engagement, and anticipate more future personal resources. They have higher levels of self-control and academic performance, procrastinate less, and adopt a mastery approach towards goals. Furthermore, flourishing can act as a buffer against performance-inhibiting factors. The present research uses multiple regression to identify predictors of flourishing in students at a regional Australian university. It examines whether participants' locus of control, the balance between their positive and negative experience, their degree of optimism and their perception of their material and time affluence predict flourishing. Demographic variables are also measured to identify whether they predict flourishing including: age, gender, socio-economic status, and whether the participant is the first in their family to attend university. The direction of effects will be discussed.
Details
- Title
- Predictors of Flourishing in University Students
- Authors
- Sarah Glencross (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- 2016 Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR) Conference Program, p.21
- Conference details
- Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR), 2016 (Rockhampton, Australia, 27-Oct-2016–28-Oct-2016)
- Publisher
- Central Queensland University
- Date published
- 2016
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Community Engagement
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450852102621
- Output Type
- Abstract
Metrics
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