Magdalena Anna Lazarewicz ^1* Unni Karin Moksnes ² Randi Johansen Reidunsdatter ² Dorota Włodarczyk ¹

• ¹ Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
• ² Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway

Objective: Student age and starting higher education require adaptation to a new physical and psychosocial environment, making the time of studies a highly sensitive period. Current and future generations of students are also likely to face additional global stressors, which potentially exacerbate their mental well-being. The aim of the study was to investigate how higher education students' appraisal of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and of their personal resources predict mental wellbeing (anxiety and curiosity).The study used cross-sectional data collected from 3,727 higher education students in an online survey conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.After controlling for a number of pandemic-related factors, all considered aspects of the pandemic situation appraisal and resources appraisal were significant predictors of anxiety and/or curiosity. The most important predictors of anxiety were sense of control, information stress, pandemic interest, and self-efficacy, and the most important predictors of curiosity were selfefficacy, health promoting behaviors, and sense of control. Tested models explained 61% of variance of anxiety and 36% of variance of curiosity.Appraisal of own personal resources seems critical for both indicators of mental wellbeing. These results may significantly contribute to sufficient planning of mental-wellbeing oriented interventions for young adults in Higher Education.