Effect of Student Debt on Mental Health and Subjective Well-being on Chilean University Students

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate if debt due to university loans predicts mental health and subjective well-being in university students of Temuco, Chile. Method: A non-probabilistic sample of 151 last-year university students completed measures of mental health (DASS-21), of subjective well-being (satisfaction with life, and subjective happiness), and debt levels due to student loans. Analyses included hierarchical multiple linear regressions where gender was entered in a first step and debt due to university loans on a second step as independent variables. Each regression considered a factor of mental health or a factor of subjective well-being as the dependent variable. Results: Results show that debt due to university loans predict predicts satisfaction with life (F(2, 148) = 5,95, p = 0,003, R2Adjusted = 0,06; β =-0,16, p = 0,049), but not subjective happiness (p = n.s.) (factors of subjective well-being), nor symptoms of depression (p = n.s.), anxiety (p = n.s.), or stress (p = n.s.) (factors of mental health). Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that university students may perceive student debt as an investment which may act as a protective factor of their mental health and subjective well-being.