SMAART Well-being

Well-being Among Youth

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What is Well-being?

Well-being is defined as a positive state encountered by an individual comprising quality of life and abilities to contribute to development. It is a valuable resource influenced by societal dynamics, economic factors and environmental conditions (1). It is a multidimensional notion, comprising objective measure including quality of life and subjective measures comprising psychological, cognitive, social aspects (2).


Figure: Factors associated with health and well-being

Advancing in the arena of well-being is essential as it pertains to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (1).

Major Threats to Well-being


Figure: Major threats to Well-being (4)

Research and reports reveals:

  • Individuals with schizophrenia or any other severe mental health diseases often die 10 to 20 years earlier as compared to general population (3)
  • A recent study on university students showed a linkage between stress, depression, anxiety and unhealthy eating practices (5)
  • Over 46.6 million adults in United States, had mental illness (6)
  • General usage of social media is related with poorer psychological well-being which further effects physical health and well-being (7)
  • Lonesomeness and social separation have effects on overall health in addition to well-being (8)

Youth Well-being

Youth well-being is progressively an essential part of the concept of well-being. An urgent need for interventions and policies has been expressed to address the psychological aspects of young individuals (9).

Research indicates:

  • COVID-19 related hardships was associated with youth stress and decreased satisfaction in life (10)
  • Youth specifically in the age group of 21-25 years had peritraumatic distress 2.42 times more than other age groups (11)