Students' perceptions of well-being

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In today's society, there is a need to explore strategies for attaining and improving overall well-being. This exploration requires an examination of perceptions of well-being in different social groups. First and second-year students in higher education institutions represent the future social capital of the nation. Understanding the factors that contribute to their sense of well-being is essential, as it can determine their future social interactions and behaviors. AIM: to identify the content of students’ perceptions of well-being. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 258 first- and second-year university students. The main research method was a modified free association technique, where students were asked to provide three associations in the form of verbs, adjectives, and nouns, resulting in a total of nine associations per participant. Data were analyzed using frequency analysis and calculation of ranks. RESULTS: A total of 2322 associations were identified among students. These associations were then organized to form 51 associative groups, which were further combined into 16 semantic groups for meaningful interpretation. The concept of "well-being" was analyzed within a structured semantic space, focusing on emotional and motivational-need characteristics. The semantic space of the concept of “well-being” is structured according to emotional and motivational-need characteristics. The emotional component of well-being encompasses a range of positive emotions with varying degrees of intensity. On the other hand, the motivational-need component primarily addressed needs related to physical comfort, safety, basic life support, and material support. CONCLUSION: In the content of university students’ perceptions about well-being, the emotional sphere holds the most significant position. Students associate well-being with feelings of calm joy, happiness and emotional stability. Additionally, perceptions of well-being are centered around fulfilling basic and material needs.