New students' psychological well‐being and its relation to first year academic performance in a UK university

• Published in: Counselling and psychotherapy research Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 196 - 203
• Main Authors: Topham, Phil, Moller, Naomi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Academic achievement; academic performance; Anxiety; Mental health; Psychology; Self esteem; social anxiety; University students; well-being; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 1473-3145; 1746-1405
• DOI: 10.1080/14733145.2010.519043

Aims: This study (1) profiled the well‐being of first year students entering one UK university, and (2) explored whether initial well‐being and year end academic performance were correlated. Method: A total of 117 students (mean age 21, 67% female) completed the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale, Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation‐General Population, and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale; academic achievement data were collected from academic records. Results: Almost a quarter of the sample reported quasi‐clinical levels of psychological distress and moderate to very severe social anxiety. Quasi‐clinical levels of psychological distress were associated with low self‐esteem and social anxiety. No statistically significant links were found between well‐being as assessed at the beginning of the first year and academic achievement at the end of the first year. Discussion: The failure to find a link in this study between initial well‐being and academic performance at the end of the first year suggests that further investigation is required to understand how academic achievement is related to student well‐being.