Heterogeneity in psychological wellbeing within the university community: a latent profile analysis of wellbeing...

Psychological wellbeing in university settings is a multidimensional construct shaped by individual, occupational, and structural factors that vary across members of the academic community. This study aimed to identify and compare psychological wellbeing profiles among students, Academic and Research Staff (ARS), and Technical, Administrative, and Services Staff (TASS), and to examine the main determinants associated with these profiles. The final sample consisted of 742 participants. In this exploratory study, an unsupervised latent profile analysis was applied to identify wellbeing typologies within each group, and the quality of the solution was evaluated using cohesion, separation, and parsimony indices. In addition, nonparametric tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted to validate profile differentiation and to examine the influence of psychological, sociodemographic, and structural factors on profile membership. The results revealed two distinct profiles of psychological wellbeing (low vs. high) across all three groups, with statistically significant differences across all assessed dimensions (p < 0.001) and large effect sizes (Cohen's d ranging from 0.98 to 2.02). Within each group, a higher proportion of students and TASS members were classified in the low wellbeing profile (64.1% and 70.3%, respectively), whereas among ARS the distribution was more balanced (49.7%). These within-group prevalences should not be interpreted as direct between-group comparisons, as profiles were estimated independently within each subpopulation. Logistic regression models demonstrated adequate fit, with pseudo-R² values indicating moderate-to-substantial explanatory strength for profile membership (McFadden R²: 20%-32%; Nagelkerke R²: 32%-46%). Economic situation emerged as the only significant predictor consistently associated with profile membership across all groups, while variables such as perceived health, sleep quality, psychotropic medication use, and gender showed group-specific effects. These findings suggest the presence of heterogeneity in psychological wellbeing within the university community and highlight the relevance of evidence-informed, differentiated strategies for wellbeing promotion that integrate individual-level interventions with institutional and structural approaches. These findings suggest the presence of heterogeneity in psychological wellbeing within the university community and highlight the relevance of evidence-informed, differentiated strategies for wellbeing promotion that integrate individual-level interventions with institutional and structural approaches. Future longitudinal and multicentre studies are needed to assess the stability and generalizability of these profiles and to inform the development of tailored wellbeing strategies across university subpopulations.