# Factors associated with psychological wellbeing, is education one of them?

**Authors:** Gholamreza Oskrochi, Youssof Oskrochi, Rogheyeh Eskrootchi

PMC · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0340820 · PLOS One · 2026-02-23

## TL;DR

This study explores how education affects psychological wellbeing in the UK, finding a direct link but also highlighting other important factors.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the direct and indirect effects of education on psychological wellbeing using a large UK dataset.

## Key findings

- Educational attainment has a direct positive association with psychological wellbeing.
- Other factors beyond education significantly influence psychological wellbeing.
- The relationship between education and wellbeing is complex and multifaceted.

## Abstract

Many factors, such as health, marital status, social relationships, and job status, influence psychological wellbeing. Previous research has suggested that educational attainment is also a key contributor to a happier life. Utilising data from the Understanding Society survey (2010 -2018), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the direct and indirect effects of education on psychological wellbeing of 68,283 individuals in the UK. After controlling for relevant variables, we identified a direct association between educational attainment and psychological wellbeing. This aligns with earlier studies examining the link between education and happiness. While some of these studies report significant positive relationships, our results underscore the complexity of factors influencing psychological wellbeing, extending beyond education alone.

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** depression (MESH:D003866), job (MESH:D007589), chronic (MESH:D002908), COVID-19 (MESH:D000086382), psychological illness (MESH:D000067073), LMM (MESH:D004195), Psychological distress (MESH:D012128), inflammation (MESH:D007249), mental disorder (MESH:D001523), anxiety (MESH:D001007)
- **Chemicals:** GHQ (-)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928393/full.md

## References

49 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928393/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12928393