A Cross-Sectional Exploration of the Relationship between Undergraduate Nursing Student Wellness and Academic Outcomes at a South African Higher Education Institution

Abstract

As a first step towards a more holistic approach to the development of undergraduate nursing science students at a South African Higher Education Institution, student wellness levels and their relationship to academic performance were explored. An exploratory, quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used to obtain convenience samples of students across academic year levels. Wellness assessment data were collected using a newly developed South African Wellness Questionnaire for Higher Education. Group differences in wellness mean scores as well as the relationship between wellness profiles and academic performance categories were explored using descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques. A clear pattern of highest and lowest wellness dimension scores was found. The wellness profile of students assessed revealed physical and environmental wellness as the weaker areas, while group strengths pertained to social, emotional and spiritual wellness. Although no direct relationship between wellness profiles and academic performance was found, there were tentative indicators that students with higher levels of wellness performed better academically than those with medium wellness levels.