Psychological well-being among Tanzanian university students

Abstract

This study explored the prevalence of levels of psychological well-being in a group of Tanzanian university students. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was implemented for data-gathering. A convenience sample of 279 undergraduate students (19 to 40 years, mean age 29 years) from three church-related universities completed the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form (MHC-SF) as measure of levels of well-being. Descriptive statistics and reliability indices were determined for the MHC-SF and the frequency of various levels of well-being established with implementation of Keyes’s criteria for categorization. Findings indicated high levels of positive mental health in this group with a large number of students in the flourishing category. Smaller size of institution was associated with higher well-being. Future research should explore well-being in other Tanzanian groups as well as the possible role of spirituality and religion in subjective reports of psychosocial well-being.