Psychological well-being of Hong Kong university students under COVID-19: Mental health status and ecological risk and protective factors

The COVID-19 pandemic in the past years has posed significant challenges to different populations including university students. Being in a developmental stage transitioning from late adolescence to early adulthood and facing multiple challenges in different life domains, university students suffered more from the pandemic which impaired their psychological well-being. However, limited research has taken a holistic perspective to understand the psychological well-being of university students in Hong Kong during the pandemic as well as the potential risk and protective factors. Based on a comprehensive framework involving both negative mental health and positive well-being indicators and multiple ecological risk and protective factors, two surveys were conducted in two different periods of the pandemic based on the responses of undergraduate students (N = 978 and 1,020, respectively). Results of descriptive analyses showed that the participants demonstrated higher levels of mental health problems. Structural equation models showed that COVID-19-related stress, negative family functioning, and difficulties encountered under the pandemic were risk factors while positive psychological attributes, support from family, peers, and community, needs satisfaction, as well as positive evaluation of university services were protective factors of their psychological well-being. The findings contribute to our understanding of ecological risk and protective factors of the psychological well-being of university students under COVID-19. It also highlights the importance of promoting both intrapersonal and interpersonal protective factors to promote the psychological well-being of university students during the pandemic.