Psychological well-being among U.S. College students: The associations with school climate, loneliness, and financial stress

Psychological well-being is essential yet underexamined among college students. Guided by a psychosocial framework, this study explores how financial stress, loneliness, and perceived school mental health climate relate to psychological well-being. We analyzed data from the 2022-2023 Healthy Minds Study (<i>N</i> = 27,340; 135 U.S. institutions) using hierarchical regression. Loneliness had the strongest negative association with well-being (<i>β</i> = -0.43, <i>p</i> < 0.001), followed by positive associations with school mental health climate (<i>β</i> = 0.21, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and a weaker negative association with financial stress (<i>β</i> = -0.10, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Findings underscore the complex nature of student well-being and call for interventions that reduce loneliness, ease financial burdens, and enhance campus mental health climates.