Examining the Association Between Economic Status and Mental Health among Newly Admitted Students at Daikundi University

Mental well-being has a significant influence on students' learning and social adaptation processes, especially in their entry into the university years. Studies on mental well-being among first-year students in Afghanistan and on the effects of family economic well-being in the current situation have not yet been conducted. Thus, it is difficult to identify the factors contributing to this group's psychological vulnerability. This work is devoted to analyzing the psychological well-being of first-year students and its relationship to their family's economic status. All the admitted students of Daikendi University in 2025 (N=221) participated in this study. The sample size was determined to achieve sufficient statistical power for the research, with a minimal detectable effect size of 0.80, to detect the mean effect at a 95% confidence level. Psychological well-being was measured with the GHQ-28 tool. Although most students had normal or mild levels of well-being, the findings showed overall psychological vulnerability (minimal 0.80), indicating an average effect size at the 95% confidence level. Significant correlations were found between mental well-being and certain factors, namely, physical symptoms and social functioning.