Student mental well-being in daily life: A dynamic network analysis using Ecological Momentary Assessment

The mental well-being (hereafter: MWB) of students in higher education is high on the research agenda. While substantial attention is devoted to enhancing the MWB of students, existing interventions often overlook the complex interactions among different aspects of well-being, and analyses of their dynamics remain inconsistent. Rather than conceptualizing MWB as stable and passive, this study applies a dynamic network approach by exploring the moment-to-moment interactions among MWB aspects in the daily life of higher education students. The aim was to identify structural characteristics of MWB. Using ecological momentary assessment, we collected 18,779 observations from N = 350 first- and second-year students enrolled at Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences. Over the course of one week, participants received 10 notifications per day, each prompting them to complete a 2-minute self-report assessing their momentary MWB (e.g., affect or self-esteem). To estimate the dynamic network structure, we employed linear mixed effects models in combination with permutations and Impulse Response Function analysis in R. Results suggest that the network approach uncovered the complexities of MWB and the interactions between positive and negative MWB aspects. Self-esteem, stress, and social connectedness exhibited the highest centrality, indicating that these may be especially important to students or conceptually overlap with other aspects. The Impulse Response Function further showed that a simulated temporary increase in the value of one of the aspects in the network resulted in a relatively short-lived change in other nodes, suggesting that the system is resilient to positive and negative events.