From Psychological Health to Comprehensive Growth: Structural Relationships Among Student Well-Being, Mental Wellness, and Holistic Development

Abstract

This paper examines how student well-being and mental wellness predict holistic development in 172 undergraduate students of four private universities in Guwahati, Assam, Assam Don Bosco University, Assam downtown University, Royal Global University, and Girijananda Chowdhury University. The study used a cross-sectional design with structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the direct path relationships using psychometrically validated scales of eudaimonic well-being domains, symptom-reduced mental wellness, and overall developmental outcomes in terms of cognitive, emotional, social, and ethical outcomes. Results have confirmed both psychological constructs to be important positive predictors of holistic development, where well-being promotes engagement and resilience as a necessary component of balanced maturation and mental wellness supports adaptive coping and relational competencies as a necessary component of academic success. Findings are consistent with the evidence of interventions provided by Rentala et al. (2019) and systematic reviews by Berger et al. (2022) and Hossain et al. (2023), which apply theoretical frameworks such as the 4M-framework by Nair and Otaki (2021) to the South Asian contexts. Theoretical contributions enhance the applications of the Self-Determination Theory to educational psychology, whereas the practical implication promotes the inclusion of wellness screening and SEL programs into the NEP 2020-compliant curricula. The research highlights psychological wellbeing as the structural base of multidimensional student development, to guide policy changes of a scale in resource-heterogeneous institutions of higher learning.