financial well-being

Abstract Governments and organizations increasingly endorse the importance of mental health in all forms of policy, though emphasis in measurement still remains on indicators such as GDP, depression, and other common disorders. In this study of 92 countries ( n = 53,799), we assess the mental health of individuals around the world alongside measures of financial and social well-being. Findings include a trend of languishing mental health across many groups, particularly among younger adults and within higher-income countries. While positive trends are observed for education and income, a number of concerning trends also emerge, particularly the poor results for young adults and generally moderate results for employed individuals. In sum, we find an alarming but perhaps unsurprisingly low level of positive mental health in a substantial number of countries, but also identify specific economic, social, and other indicators that policymakers could target in improving the well-being of the populations they serve.

Rising living costs and expensive higher education place many students under financial pressure, yet the evidence from Southeast Asia has not been brought together. Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines, a total of 239 records were screened, comprising 174 records retrieved from Scopus and 65 records from non-Scopus sources. Eleven studies from five countries (the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand) were charted and synthesised narratively. Six were quantitative surveys, and five of the eleven appeared in 2025 or 2026. Six themes emerged. First, costs extend beyond tuition: programme costs, rent, and other indirect expenses create hardship even where tuition is free. Second, access to family resources and financial aid is unequal. Third, financial strain is reported alongside psychological distress and academic strain, a pattern of co-occurrence rather than demonstrated cause. Fourth, students cope through income generation, saving and economising, building financial literacy, cognitive reappraisal, spiritual support, and selective use of social support. Fifth, financial literacy and behaviour appear to shape financial well-being, although findings on financial stress conflict. Sixth, authors call for support beyond tuition, but no study evaluated an intervention. The evidence is mostly cross-sectional, and no eligible study came from Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, or Timor-Leste. Malaysia contributes one study, which examines financial well-being rather than coping strategies. Future work needs harmonised measures, longitudinal and intervention designs, and wider country coverage.

Student loan repayment can impact individual’s financial outcomes and well-being. Life course theory suggests these impacts may result from how loan repayment interacts with live events, transition periods, and broader context in an individual’s life. This paper highlights the experiences of recent college graduates as they navigate entering loan repayment simultaneously with other life changes after college graduation. Many borrowers in our study entered repayment as the COVID-related payment pause ended. In addition to these federal policy changes, borrowers in our study experienced profound changes in their employment status, health, and social lives after graduation. As time passed, these life changes and external policy contexts grew more salient, leading to changes in borrowers’ repayment goals.

بازپرداخت وام دانشجویی می‌تواند بر پیامدهای مالی و بهزیستی فرد تأثیر بگذارد. نظریه مسیر زندگی بیان می‌کند که این تأثیرات ممکن است ناشی از نحوه تعامل بازپرداخت وام با رویدادهای زندگی، دوره‌های گذار و زمینه‌های گسترده‌تر در زندگی فرد باشد. این مقاله به تجارب فارغ‌التحصیلان اخیر دانشگاه می‌پردازد که همزمان با سایر تغییرات زندگی پس از فارغ‌التحصیلی، وارد مرحله بازپرداخت وام می‌شوند. بسیاری از وام‌گیرندگان در مطالعه ما همزمان با پایان تعلیق پرداخت‌های مرتبط با کووید، وارد بازپرداخت شدند. علاوه بر این تغییرات سیاستی فدرال، وام‌گیرندگان در مطالعه ما پس از فارغ‌التحصیلی با تغییرات عمیقی در وضعیت اشتغال، سلامت و زندگی اجتماعی خود مواجه شدند. با گذشت زمان، این تغییرات زندگی و زمینه‌های سیاستی بیرونی برجسته‌تر شده و منجر به تغییر در اهداف بازپرداخت وام‌گیرندگان گردید.