eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Educational Research 2327-6150 2026-04-19 14 4 114 119 10.12691/education-14-4-1 EDUCATION20261441 article Manal Alyamni malyamani@lu.edu.qa 1 Shaza Farajallah 2 Noor Al-Wattary 3 Nesma Nawar 4 Yassin Alsawas 5 Mohammed Alwatar 6 Abdulsalam Alahmed 7 Education, Lusail University, Doha, Qatar Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Education and Arts, Lusail University, Doha, Qatar Psychology, Lusail University, Doha, Qatar Psychology, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar Education, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq Medical, Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan The topic of adolescent wellbeing is acknowledged as a multidimensional construct influenced by social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Although much literature exists on mental health and wellbeing in children and adolescents, little has been done to determine the understanding and definition of wellbeing in Arabic and Islamic cultural contexts. In this phenomenological study, we aimed to explore how adolescent students define wellbeing and the factors that can improve or hinder their mental health. Using a qualitative design, 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with girls¡¯ students (13¨C17 years old) in Qatar, who were representatives of different social groups and different levels of Arabic ethnic backgrounds. The analysis revealed multiple aspects in relation to students¡¯ definitions and understanding of wellbeing: happiness, success, faith, richness, and health. In addition, adolescents used five core categories related to factors influencing their wellbeing, including social relations, academic performance outcomes, personal commitment to goals, fulfilling religious practices, and self-confidence. These findings can be used to address and optimize challenges in investigating young people¡¯s wellbeing and reveal the impact of social, cultural, and religious factors on the conceptualization of wellbeing in the Arabic community. https://pubs.sciepub.com/education/14/4/1/education-14-4-1.pdf Mental health Youths¡¯ mental health Wellbeing Spiritual wellbeing Family and cultural context