The increasing prevalence of psychological distress among students has prompted global concern about how educational systems might promote student wellbeing

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted and disrupted higher education worldwide, creating unprecedented challenges for university students. In New Zealand, universities operated under varying pandemic restrictions, requiring students to frequently transition between online and in-person learning. This distinctive context provides a valuable opportunity to examine students’ academic stress and coping strategies during these transitions. Grounded in the transactional model of Stress–Appraisal–Coping, this research investigates sources of academic stress, coping strategies, and their effectiveness among university students during the pandemic. A mixed-methods approach was employed, with 193 university students completing an online survey incorporating qualitative and quantitative components. The thematic analysis results indicate eight major sources of academic-related stress and three types of coping strategies. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that proactive and assistance-seeking strategies were associated with effective stress management, while avoidant strategies were linked to poorer outcomes. However, the study is limited by a low response rate (39.68%), which may affect the generalisability of findings. The results underscore the importance of fostering adaptive coping mechanisms in university settings and highlight the need for targeted institutional support to enhance student wellbeing and resilience in the post-pandemic academic landscape.

This study aimed to identify how school climate shapes adolescent wellbeing, and the extent to which social–emotional characteristics (SECs) explain these associations, using nationally representative data from New Zealand secondary schools ( N = 3,575 students; 168 schools) in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) linked with school-level administrative indicators. A two-level multilevel structural equation model (MSEM) was estimated to examine direct and indirect relations between five dimensions of school climate, seven SECs, and two wellbeing outcomes (life satisfaction and psychosomatic symptoms), while accounting for student- and school-level demographics. At the within-school level, more positive relational and belonging-focused climates were associated with higher SECs and better wellbeing, whereas greater exposure to bullying and school risk was linked to poorer emotional regulation and elevated psychosomatic symptoms. SECs—particularly stress resistance and emotional control—partially mediated the associations between school climate and wellbeing, indicating that socio–emotional functioning is a key mechanism linking school experiences to students’ subjective wellbeing. At the between-school level, school gender composition, size, and geographic context showed modest associations with average wellbeing, whereas school socioeconomic composition was not uniquely related once other contextual factors were considered. Overall, the findings underscore the central role of relationally supportive and emotionally safe school environments, and of SECs, in promoting adolescent wellbeing.