Abstract

This article compares the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) scores of fifty-seven students from the general population, thirty-two students who received mental health services, and thirty-three students who received medical services through the Student Health Center at a southern California community college during the 2015–2016 academic year. This study describes the age, gender, and ethnicity of the students as well as their PWI scores. The results indicate that the majority of participants were female, ranging in age from 21.5 to 22.9 years. The medical group had significantly more females than the other two groups. No ethnic differences were found between groups. For all items and the total score, mental health clients scored significantly lower than those in the other two groups. The total scale scores were 7.75 for the medical group, 5.75 for the mental health group, and 7.67 for the general student group. The item scores indicate that the items “sense of community” and “future security” had the lowest scores (means = 6.72 and 6.80, respectively). Men scored significantly lower for “safety,” spirituality,” and the total scale. Clinical implications are provided. Areas for future research are outlined.