Identifying predictors of university students' mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been widely examined to be both an economic crisis and health with updates of increasing the mental health and well-being of university students. This study examines the relationships between physical health, social support, and mental health literacy with the mental well-being of Malaysian university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study population comprised 199 students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with self-administered questionnaires that used the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support instrument, and the Mental Health Literacy Scale. The survey also included items from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). The results of this study showed that physical health had a positive and strong relationship with mental well-being. Similarly, the results indicated that social support had a significant and positive relationship with mental well-being. However, mental health literacy was not significantly associated with mental well-being. The results of this research might provide policymakers, practitioners, and university management with useful insights that foster the positive outcome of conducting intervention programs to improve the mental well-being of students.