EMOTIONAL HEALTH AS A GOOD SOURCE OF WELLBEING AMONG STUDENTS

1.1 Introduction

Emotional Well-Being (EWB) is not synonymous with the absence of illness, nor is it synonymous with mental health. EWB is an umbrella label for several related psychometrically defined concepts, including psychological well-being, positive mental health, health-related quality of life, thriving, and subjective well-being. These concepts encompass several psychological dimensions, including positive emotions and moods; the relative absence of negative emotions, moods, and states; life satisfaction; sense of meaning and purpose; quality of life; and satisfaction with other life domains. All of these psychological dimensions can be measured by using evidence-supported surveys, and all are salient to public health, in part because they are shown to be associated with positive health outcomes.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Studies show various positive health outcomes related to EWB. One systematic review found that a state of EWB is associated with a 20% reduced risk of all-cause mortality in healthy people and is a protective factor related to mortality from diseases such as renal failure and human immunodeficiency virus (Chida et al., 2008). A meta-analysis of more than 136 000 people across 10 studies found that a sense of purpose in life, a facet of EWB, is associated with reductions in both all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events by 17% (adjusted risk ratios of 0.83 and 0.83, respectively) (Cohen et al., 2016).

Individuals have been found to have high prevalence of mental health problems across the country. In Chhattisgarh state had limited resources for mental health treatment, counseling or alternative interventions to help students and manage their level of depression, stress and academic anxiety (Pandey, 2016). There have been few mental health studies found in regional context; so to bridge the gap and find out the relationship among anxiety, depression, and stress with academic achievement. Many factors influenced students’ academic performance. Research have documented a number of inputs that have impact on students academic achievement these include classroom environment (Sharma et al., 2015), teacher support. Certain characteristics of the students and their family are also important, including parents education. Present study focusing on another aspect that influence academic achievement that is, anxiety, stress and depression.

Psychological models focus on the concept of perceived stress, which refers to interactions between an environmental precipitant (external stress); the physiological reactions of the body (distress); and a person’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral response to this interaction. Stress is perceived when an external event causes aversive physiological and cognitive distress in an individual that exceeds his or her emotional and behavioral repertoire designed to negate the harmful effects of external stressors.

Emotional wellbeing is closely entwined with social relationships. The definition of EWB encompasses satisfaction with relationships, the subjective perception of social support. Also closely entwined are the structural aspects of social relationships. A meta-analysis of 148 studies showed that social relationships reduced the odds of all-cause mortality by 50%, with an effect size magnitude that is comparable to that of other known protective health behaviors such as quitting smoking (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010). Other meta-analyses, which have included studies with collective sample sizes exceeding 4 million, show strong associations between perceived social connectedness and reductions in disease-related mortality (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2010; Shor et al., 2015).

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Emotional Health as a Good Source of Wellbeing among students.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that the health substance utilization contribute to reductions in Emotional Wellbeing (EWB), and the Communities That Care system was designed to prevent or curtail these problem behaviors among young people (Lee et al., 2017; Jacoby et al., 2017; Tracy et al., 2012). This avoidance of recognizing and sharing our emotions is potentially damaging. Therapy provides a safe opportunity to talk about our symptoms and the underlying problems impacting our mental wellness. Deep engagement, listening to, and working through our feelings can unchain us from the past and affect long-lasting change (Walton, 2022).

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Emotional Health as a Good Source of Wellbeing among students. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To analyze the prevalence of stress and mental health on students wellbeing in the area under study;
2. To determine the effects of stress and mental health on students wellbeing in the area under study; and
3. To investigate the factors that brings about stress and mental health on students wellbeing in the area under study.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there factor that brings about stress and mental health on students wellbeing in the area under study?
• What are the effects of stress and mental health on students’ wellbeing in the area under study?
• What is the prevalence of stress and mental health on students’ wellbeing in the area under study?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant relationship between stress and emotional health wellbeing of students in the area under study
• H1: There is a significant relationship between stress and emotional health wellbeing of students in the area under study

Hypothesis Two

• H0: There are no significant factors that lead to stress and mental health on students’ wellbeing in the area under study
• H1: There are significant factors that lead to stress and mental health on students’ wellbeing in the area under study

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1.7 Significance of Study

This study would benefit parents and university students by helping them to discover the effects of stress on their mental health and how this affects their academic performance and enable the parents to discover the different methods for approaching stress and mental health on their children. It will also contribute to academic work in the area of clinical and physiological psychology.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Emotional Health as a Good Source of Wellbeing among students of Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) in Imo State.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definitions of Terms

The following terms were used in the course of this study:

Well-being: Well-being is a multidimensional construct which refers to the optimal experience and human functioning.