Social and psychological determinants of positive mental health in engineering students

Engineering students often experience higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general college population, which can adversely affect both their academic performance and well-being. This study investigates the social and psychological factors contributing to positive mental health among Indonesian engineering students. A total of 436 students from six engineering departments participated (age: 17–25 years, M = 20.17, SD = 1.13; 52% male). The study examined social factors such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, suitability of chosen major, and year of study, alongside psychological factors including coping strategies, resilience, self-compassion and aloneliness. These variables were analyzed as predictors of mental health outcomes such as stress, anxiety, depression, well-being and life satisfaction. Participants were categorized into positive and negative mental health groups. Multivariate binary logistic regression revealed that 52% of students were categorized in the positive mental health group. Third-year students showed significantly higher positive mental health. Furthermore, resilience and self-compassion were positively associated with better mental health, while aloneliness and dysfunctional coping strategies were negatively associated. Strengthening resilience and self-compassion effectively fosters positive mental health among engineering students. Special interventions may be needed for first- and second-year students to address aloneliness and enhance coping strategies for better outcomes.