Wellness and perceived stress in higher education: Evidence from a Mexican sample.

This study explored the specific relationships between wellness dimensions and perceived stress in
a Mexican sample. Character strengths represented the social, cognitive, aesthetical and spiritual
wellness dimensions, exercise frequency and duration the physical dimension, college major the
occupational dimension, and perceived stress the emotional dimension. A transversal exploratory
ex post facto study was conducted on a sample of 850 undergraduate students who completed
the Perceived Stress Scale-14 and the VIA-IS-240, providing biodata on their age, gender, exercise,
and college major. Results showed that the wellness model reached high explained variance
when analyzed in relation to perceived stress, in both total score and subscales. The character
strengths dimensions correlated significantly and positively with lower levels of perceived stress.
ANOVA analyses revealed that the occupational factor was positively and significantly associated
with the psychology students’ feeling in control, while high exercise frequency and low intensity
correlated significantly and positively with lower levels of perceived stress. These results underpin
the importance of integrating the wellness dimensions in the stress prevention programs and
considering students’ career to further tailor them. Finally, context-specific character strengths
need to be determined during the programs’ design to assure their relevance and hence efficacy
for the target population.