Quansah Frank, Ankomah Francis, Agormedah Edmond Kwesi, Ntumi Simon, Hagan John Elvis, Srem-Sai Medina, Dadaczynski Kevin, Okan Orkan, Schack Thomas
Department of Educational Foundations University of Education Winneba Ghana.
Department of Education and Psychology University of Cape Coast Cape Coast Ghana.
Health Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 4;6(2):e1095. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1095. eCollection 2023 Feb.
Mental health concerns of university students are gaining more attention since the emergence of the coronavirus disease. Consequently, scholars in education, health and psychology-related fields have attributed the dwindling subjective well-being (SWB) of students to their low levels of digital health literacy (DHL). However, little attention has been paid to an important variable like pocket money (PM) which might serve as a buffer against reduced levels of SWB. In this study, we explored the dynamics of PM and its linkage with DHL and SWB among university students in Ghana.
With a cross-sectional design, a convenient sample of 1160 students was obtained from the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. The COVID-DHL and WHO-5 Well-being instruments were used for the data collection for a 2 months period (February-March, 2021). Chi-square test, multivariate regression, simple linear regression, and PROCESS mediation analyses were performed with the use of SPSS software version 25.
The study found that while most of the students were financially supported by their parents ( = 715, 61.6%), a larger proportion of them reported that their PM was either less sufficient or not sufficient ( = 550; 76.9%). Findings revealed a positive relationship between PM and SWB ( = -36.419, < 0.001; = -13.146, = 0.012; = -10.930, = 0.043), with this relationship mediated by DHL ( = -1.139, confidence interval [CI] [-2.073, -0.263] vs. -2.300, CI [-4.290, -0.532] vs. -8.366, CI [-14.863, -1.908]).
Students with little to insufficient PM were vulnerable to mental health problems, although this could be buffered by the high DHL levels. In practical terms, not only should the PM of university students be increased, but the sources of PM should be complemented since the sufficiency level of PM was associated with the source of finance. More importantly, parents should be empowered through job creation so that sufficient levels of PM can be provided to university students.
自新冠疫情出现以来，大学生的心理健康问题受到了更多关注。因此，教育、健康和心理学相关领域的学者将学生主观幸福感（SWB）的下降归因于他们较低的数字健康素养（DHL）水平。然而，像零花钱（PM）这样可能作为抵御主观幸福感下降缓冲因素的重要变量却很少受到关注。在本研究中，我们探讨了加纳大学生零花钱的动态变化及其与数字健康素养和主观幸福感的联系。
采用横断面设计，从加纳温尼巴教育大学抽取了1160名学生作为便利样本。在2021年2月至3月的两个月时间里，使用COVID - DHL和WHO - 5幸福感量表进行数据收集。使用SPSS 25版软件进行卡方检验、多元回归、简单线性回归和PROCESS中介分析。
研究发现，虽然大多数学生得到父母的经济支持（n = 715，61.6%），但其中很大一部分学生表示他们的零花钱要么不太充足要么不足（n = 550；76.9%）。研究结果显示零花钱与主观幸福感之间存在正相关关系（β = -36.419，p < 0.001；β = -13.146，p = 0.012；β = -10.930，p = 0.043），这种关系由数字健康素养介导（β = -1.139，置信区间[CI][-2.073，-0.263] 对比 -2.300，CI [-4.290，-0.532] 对比 -8.366，CI [-14.863，-1.908]）。
零花钱很少或不足的学生容易出现心理健康问题，不过较高的数字健康素养水平可以起到缓冲作用。实际上，不仅应该增加大学生的零花钱，而且由于零花钱的充足程度与资金来源有关，还应该补充零花钱的来源。更重要的是，应该通过创造就业机会增强父母的经济能力，以便能够为大学生提供充足的零花钱。
