Factors Influencing Malaysian University Students’ Well-Being: Coping Strategies, Social Media Addiction and Personal Characteristics

University students’ well-being has received significant attention following the COVID-19 pandemic. More online learning and a surge in social media use have triggered concern about their well-being, coping styles, and social media addiction. This study assessed undergraduate university students’ well-being and its association with personal characteristics, coping styles and social media addiction. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students from July 2022 to September 2022 utilising a self-administered questionnaire that involved the respondents’ personal information, the World Health Organization (WHO)-5 Well-Being Index, the abbreviated Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) for emotion- and problem-focused coping, and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale questionnaire. A total of 234 students responded to the survey. Most respondents were female (76.4%) and Malay (60.7%). The well-being mean score was 65.79 (SD = 18.81) and that for social media addiction was 16.50 (SD = 5.42). The mean scores for emotion- and problem-focused coping were 33.38 (SD = 5.42) and 24.90 (SD = 4.04), respectively. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that being Malay [β = –6.50 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] –12.02, –0.97), p = 0.021], being Indian [β = –10.52 (95% CI –18.36, –2.69), p = 0.009], having a medical illness [β = –6.75 (95% CI –13.45, –0.05), p = 0.048], and problem-focused coping [β = 0.92 (95% CI 0.33, 1.510), p = 0.002] were significantly associated with well-being. Our results suggested that students in certain ethnic groups and with a medical illness were at risk of poor well-being, while those using problem-focused coping had better well-being. Further research is needed to explore these issues and develop interventions to improve the students’ well-being.