Subjective well-being and psychological flexibility in nursing students: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the status of undergraduate nursing students’ subjective well-being and psychological flexibility in China, and to explore their correlation, providing evidence for psychological health interventions. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1609 full-time undergraduate nursing students from 20 Chinese universities, by convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, Index of Well-being and Index of General Affect, and Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS25.0. The findings revealed that Chinese undergraduate nursing students had moderate subjective well-being and psychological flexibility. Students with higher psychological flexibility demonstrated greater subjective well-being, and vice versa. Among dimensions of psychological flexibility, behavioural awareness was the most significant contributor to higher subjective well-being. These results provide theoretical evidence on current status of their subjective well-being and psychological flexibility, highlighting the importance of better psychological flexibility to higher subjective well-being.