Happiness among university students and associated factors: A cross-sectional study in Vietnam

Background: Happiness is among the fundamental concepts in mental health that have an impact on different aspects of university students. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of happiness among university students in Vietnam and to identify the factors influencing happiness.Design and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on undergraduate students in 8 universities and colleges in Hanoi, Vietnam. Happiness was measured using the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and we used imputed Poisson regression to evaluate associations between happiness and associated factors.Results: Among 9120 participants students (95.1% response rate), the prevalence of "happier group" was 80.9% (95% CI: 80.1-81.7). In the multivariable regression models, factors associated with being "less happy" on SHS were the perceived financial burden, year in university, academic motivation profile, and self-reported depression and anxiety.Conclusions: University healthcare providers should pay attention to these associated factors while designing mental health care programs to promote happiness among university students.