THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES: AN INTEGRATIVE STUDY OF MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS
Main Article Content
Keywords
Psychological well-being; Public health outcomes; Social determinants of health; Physical activity mediation; Integrative health models
Abstract
Psychological well-being has emerged as a central determinant of health, influencing morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. However, much of the evidence remains fragmented, with mental, social, and physical determinants often examined in isolation. This study investigates the integrative relationship between psychological well-being and public health outcomes, emphasizing behavioral mediation and social moderation. An integrative cross-sectional study was conducted with 500 adults selected through stratified random sampling from urban and rural settings. Psychological well-being was measured using the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Public health outcomes included self-rated health, morbidity, and healthcare utilization, alongside social determinants (e.g., social support, SES) and physical determinants (e.g., activity, BMI). Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical regression, and mediation/moderation testing with PROCESS in SPSS. Higher psychological well-being correlated with better self-rated health (r = .47, p < .001), lower morbidity (r = –.34, p < .001), and reduced healthcare utilization (r = –.29, p < .001). Regression confirmed well-being as a significant predictor of health (β = .41, p < .001) and lower utilization (β = –.28, p < .001), increasing explained variance from 22% to 37%. Physical activity partially mediated the relationship with self-rated health (indirect effect = 0.11, 95% CI [0.07, 0.16]), while social support moderated the association with healthcare use (β = –0.17, p = .003). Psychological well-being directly and indirectly influences public health outcomes through behavioral and social pathways. Findings reinforce integrative models of health and call for holistic, multi-sectoral policies that embed well-being in prevention frameworks to improve population resilience and sustainability.
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Dr. Ashwin M Sathe
Associate Orthopedic Surgeon, Jupiter Hospital Pune, Baner ashwinmstravmatolog@gmail.com
Dr. Divyanshu Bansal
MD Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan ORCID ID: 0009-0001-8619-0938 divyanshub96@gmail.com
Dr. Abhijit Bhardwaj
MD Palliative Medicine, Department of Palliative Medicine Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan abhijit.bhardwaj.2402@gmail.com
Dr. Shruti Sharma
AIIMS Jodhpur, ORCID ID: 0009-0003-9280-7126 shrutisharma.ss16@gmail.com
Dr. Jishnu Bhattacharya
MBBS, DPM, MD ( WBUHS), DCMH, FOAM, DEMENTIA ECHO ( NIMHANS) Department of Neuro Psychiatry, Siuri Super Speciality Hospital and medical College, Kolkata drjishnu786@gmail.com
