The relationship between wellness and adjustment to the University environment among students

Abstract

Based on the principles of the salutogenic perspective to health this study explored the relationship between wellness as envisaged in the sense of coherence concept and psychological well-being and adjustment to university among students at a South African university using gender, age and study level as variables. The study was conducted by way of a survey design. A sample of students (N=216, females 130 and males 86) from five levels of study ranging in age from 16 to over 30 was obtained. Data was collected using Antonovsky's 29 item sense of coherences scale (SOC-29), the 54 item Ryff scales of Psychological Well-Being (RSPWB-54) and a biographical questionnaire. SPSS-16 was used to compute means, standard deviations, Pearson correlations and Analysis of variance. The results found no significant relation between SOC and psychological well-being but show variances in the effects of SOC on wellness among students by age and study levels but not by gender. From the findings, the need for deliberate strategies to facilitate SOC development among students seems apparent. Arguments are therefore made with regard to intervention strategies and health promotion among students as a means to facilitate their wellness and adjustment.