Health and Mental Well-Being of Academic Staff and Students in Thailand: Validation and Model Development

Abstract

A structural model of health and mental well-being among academic staff and students in Thailand was constructed and validated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Data were obtained from 600 online questionnaires, equally distributed between staff (n = 300) and students (n = 300). Statistical analyses were undertaken in SPSS. Descriptive statistics were generated, internal reliability was assessed, and correlations were examined. The factor structure was first extracted through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Model fit was subsequently assessed using CFA in LISREL. Five constructs were derived and validated: mental well-being (18 items), social participation (12 items), health literacy (28 items), work–life balance (10 items), and health behaviour (30 items). Convergent validity was demonstrated across all constructs. The final CFA model was found to exhibit a robust fit (χ² = 145.14, df = 62, p < 0.001, RMSEA = 0.047). Strong convergent validity and excellent fit indices were confirmed. Empirical evidence was therefore provided to support the model’s application in assessing health and mental well-being within Thai academic contexts.