Abstract:

Commencing university studies is a stressful milestone life event, even more so during a global pandemic. This study investigated the relationship between mental health, life satisfaction and academic performance among first-year students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resilience was also analysed as a moderator of the effects of mental health on academic performance. First-year undergraduate business students at a leading South African residential university received an online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic ‘lockdown’ when they had to study from home or remote locations. Approximately 20% of the registered students responded (N = 240; 132 female; 176 black African) with complete and usable questionnaires. Student mental health was measured using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF), which measures three dimensions of mental health: emotional well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being. Resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and life satisfaction was measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Each scales' dimensionality and psychometric soundness were confirmed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis.

All three dimensions of mental health were significant in the life satisfaction regression model, but only emotional well-being was significant in the academic performance regression model. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that mental health explains statistically significant variance in academic performance and life satisfaction, even when controlling for demographic factors such as age, gender and socioeconomic circumstances. Contrary to expectations, moderation analysis, using PROCESS syntax in SPSS, indicated that perceived personal resilience was not a significant moderator of the relationship between mental health and academic performance. This result challenges research regarding the buffering effect of personality factors and resilience training on the relationship between stress and performance.

Even though the descriptive cross-sectional design of this study precludes causal inferences, the results do indicate the academic importance of supporting students' emotional well-being. The results further suggest that the nature of this support should be practical, with a focus on removing impediments to positive emotions, not only focusing on social and psychological issues. Future research should also consider the moderating effects of structured administrative support and academic support on the relationship between different dimensions of mental health and first-year students' academic performance.

Keywords:

Well-being, mental health, academic performance, life satisfaction, South Africa, undergraduates.