Severe stress or exposure to life threatening trauma is known to affect social functioning and quality of life.

To study well-being and anger arousal as markers of social functioning and quality of life in a group of University students exposed to a suicide bomb attack on a University in Pakistan.

To examine indicators of social functioning in order to higlight them as targets for therapeutic interventions.

Subjects were assessed after one year of exposure to a life threatening incident on University campus. Subjects completed an assessment schedule incorporating World Health Organization's Well-Being Index and Novarco Anger Inventory (25 items).

54 students completed the assessment. The mean age of the group was 24 years. All subjects had completed 14–16 years of education and were in full time education at the time of assessment. The Well Being Index Score range was 1–24 with 26 sujects scoring 13 or lower scores indicating poor quality of life. 29 subjects scored higer levels of anger arousal on 10 or more items of Novarco Anger Inventory indicating difficulties in social functioning. The overall group showed a statistically significant negative correlation between the Well-Being Index Scores and the number of Novarco Anger Inventory items scored in the two highest categories of anger arousal.

The results of the study highlight anger arousal and well-being as important markers of functioning in the aftermath of a stressful life event. The study confirms their usefulness as legitimate therapeutic targets for pharmacotherapy, psychotherapeutic, and social interventions.