Lifestyle and mental health correlates of psychological distress in college students

Food insecurity is a major social determinant of health and an assessment of how it may impact college students’ mental health is imperative, as well as differential associations by self-identified gender. A cross-sectional survey was used among college students of a mid-size minority-serving institution with a final sample size of 302 participants aged 18 years or above. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable regressions were conducted, by gender, to assess the role of food insecurity (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) six-item questionnaire), on mental health outcomes (Kessler-6 scale and self-perception). All the statistical analyses were conducted in SPSS version 24 (IBM, Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA) with an alpha less than 0.05 used to denote significance. Among those with food insecurity, the odds of reporting psychological distress (odds ratio (OR) = 3.645, p < 0.05) and an average to very poor self-perceived mental health status (OR = 2.687, p <0.05) were higher compared to their food-secure counterparts, with the results consistent in a gender-specific analysis as well. Compared to men, however, women had higher odds of psychological distress (OR = 2.280, p < 0.05), as well as reporting average to very poor self-perceived mental health statuses (OR = 2.700, p < 0.05). Among women, any alcohol use in the past 12 months (OR = 2.505, p < 0.05) and a low self-perceived physical health status (OR = 3.601, p < 0.05) were associated with an average to very poor self-perceived mental health status. Among men, a low perceived physical health status was associated with higher odds of psychological distress (OR = 3.477, p < 0.05). The results of our study highlight that food insecurity should be considered a social determinant of mental health wellbeing. In addition, gender-specific trends in mental health highlight the need for targeted interventions for prevention and treatment.

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Mental Health Links With Eating Disorder Risk and Weight Related Concerns in First Semester College Students

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab035_107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 199-199

Author(s):

Zhiping Yu ◽

Paul Fuglestad ◽

Madisen Reasonover

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Eating Disorder ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Food Addiction ◽

Well Being ◽

Eating Disorder Risk ◽

First Semester ◽

Disorder Risk

Abstract Objectives Both mental health and eating disorders are increasing health concerns for college students. This study aimed to examine associative links between psychological distress, eating disorder risk, food addiction, and weight related concerns among first semester college students. Methods Freshman students 18 years or older in all majors in a southeastern university were invited to take an online survey. The measures included demographic characteristics, psychological behaviors and eating disorder risks. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to assess associations. Results Ninety-two students (79.3% female, 61.5% white) completed the survey. Psychological distress significantly correlated with higher eating disorder risk (stress r = 0.28, anxiety r = 0.28, depression r = 0.42; P's < 0.01), higher food addiction symptom count (stress r = 0.30, anxiety r = 0.34, depression r = 0.44; P's < 0.01), and lower weight related quality of life (stress r = −0.27, anxiety r = −0.38, depression r = −0.52; P's < 0.01). Greater anxiety also significantly correlated with lower self-reported dream weights (r = −0.23, P < 0.05) and happy weights (r = −0.23, P < 0.05). Conclusions The findings suggest that the management of psychological well-being of college students is important for prevention and treatment of eating disorders and weight issues in this population. Funding Sources Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida.

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Investigation on the Physical and Mental Health of College Students Based on Statistics

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202127503044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 275 ◽

pp. 03044

Author(s):

Jianjian Wang ◽

Guofang Shen ◽

Zeyu Wang

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Physical Exercise ◽

Physical Health ◽

Psychological Adjustment ◽

Stress Resistance ◽

Questionnaire Survey ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Student Groups

Contemporary college students face pressures from employment, emotion, and academic work, so the physical and mental health of college students has gradually become the focus of social attention. Through a questionnaire survey, this paper investigates five aspects : college students’sense of physical health, physical exercise, psychological distress, stress resistance and psychological adjustment methods. College students’ physical and mental health has been analyzed from the basic situation, differences in different student groups, main problems and suggestions, trying to objectively reflect the physical and mental health of college students and provide a basis for the development of college students’ideological and political education.

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For the love of reading: Recreational reading reduces psychological distress in college students and autonomous motivation is the key

10.31234/osf.io/462jy ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shelby L. Levine

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Longitudinal Design ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Basic Psychological Needs ◽

Recreational Reading ◽

School Year

Objective: Reading is often cited as beneficial for one’s mental health, but the research on this topic is limited. The goal of the present research was to examine whether recreational reading is beneficial for mental health during college, and to determine what motivates recreational reading. Participants: Participants were 231 university students from a large Canadian University.Methods: A longitudinal design was employed and students completed online surveys on recreational reading, motivation, psychological distress and need frustration at the beginning and end of the academic year. Results: Recreational reading was associated with reduced psychological distress over the school year. Recreational reading seemed to buffer against the frustration of one’s basic psychological needs which led to improved mental health over the school year. Students who were more autonomously motivated reported reading more books recreationally. Conclusion: Recreational reading is a simple and cost-effective tool to help college students cope with mental health problems.

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Mental Resilience Enhances the Well-Being of Singaporean College Students Through Reducing Burnout

10.31234/osf.io/kq5xt ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Joanna Su Xin Chue ◽

Hoi Shan Cheung

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Factor Model ◽

Temporal Stability ◽

Well Being ◽

Academic Burnout ◽

Approach Coping ◽

Resilience Scale ◽

Mental Resilience

Mental resilience is considered as an important factor that allows individuals to cope with stressors and setbacks, though its components may vary depending on cultural contexts. Study 1 (N = 107) validated and examined the factor structure of a widely-used resilience measure (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale; CD-RISC) in the Singaporean context, and subsequently used it to test if the longitudinal relationship between resilience and psychological distress among college students would be mediated by academic burnout (Study 2). CD-RISC was correlated with perceived stress, social support, mental health and academic burnout in the expected directions. A 5-factor model was uncovered, interpreted as Approach Coping, Self-belief, Effort, Internal/ Interpersonal Resources, and Spirituality. Results of Study 2 (N = 97) showed that all variables were significantly correlated over time, demonstrating temporal stability. Mediational analyses showed that resilience predicted lower levels of academic burnout, which in turn led to lower psychological distress approximately eight weeks later. The findings show that CD-RISC is a valid research tool in the Singaporean context, although the factors did not replicate those reported in previous studies. The findings also position resilience as a key candidate for promoting mental health among college students through interventions and programs.

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The Detrimental Effect of Depression, Anxiety & Stress on Under-Graduates, Post-Graduates, and Freshly Graduates Students and Their Psychological Distress Triggered by COVID-19 Crisis

International Journal of Research and Review ◽

10.52403/ijrr.20210407 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 37-46

Author(s):

Nijal Parmar ◽

Vicky Kasundra ◽

Anand Vaghasiya

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Detrimental Effect ◽

Psychological Status ◽

Gender Ratio ◽

Economic Implications ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Recent Graduates ◽

The Impact

Background: Heightened psychological rate for college students suffering and negative aca-demic implications downstream are common under normal circumstances. One published re-search has looked at the effects to date COVID-19 on schooling and health for the students (Cao 2020 et al.). About 25 percent of the sample recorded getting signs of anxiety which were optimistic correlated with greater academic issues delays, economic implications, and impacts of the pandemic everyday life. The study's goal, therefore, is to find out the impact of the pandemic on mental health & psychological distress on students going to college. Results: Of the 948 participants, most students and recent graduates did not have psychologi-cal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and discomfort, but half had psychological distress (Female=195 & male=97). Although the majority of 20-23-year-old students reported moderate psychological distress and 189 undergraduates had a serious psychological distress experience. The gender ratio was not equal in our sample so 300 participants were chosen at random and assessed afterward. Results show that post-graduate females and freshly graduates male participants have more psychological distress among 300 participants. Conclusion: The COVID 19 outbreak was associated with mild to moderate depression, anxiety, and stress among college students, but most students experienced no mental health symptoms, although half of the students were seriously impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and had a significant negative effect on their student psychological status. Keywords: COVID-19, DASS-21, IES-Revised scale.

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An Exploration of Life Satisfaction, Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-being among College Students

International Journal of Indian Psychology ◽

10.25215/0301.151 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rehana Abdullah ◽

Saima Mushtaq

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Negative Correlation ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Well Being ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Psychological Wellbeing ◽

Sample Group

The present study was carried out to explore life satisfaction, psychological distress and psychological wellbeing in a sample group of 100 college students. The sampling technique involved was purposive and the tool adopted to measure the mentioned constructs was Mental health inventory (MHI-38) developed by Davies AR, Sherbourne CD, Peterson JR and Ware JE (1998). The data collected was carefully scrutinized and condensed into excel sheet so that all information could be bought into proximity. In order to achieve the objective of the present study, the tabulated data was analyzed by using Pearson’s product movement correlation and t-test with the help of SPSS. The main finding of the study was that life satisfaction has significant negative correlation with psychological distress but positive correlation with psychological wellbeing, while as psychological distress and psychological wellbeing were found to have negative correlation with each other.

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Mental Health Impacts in Argentinean College Students During COVID-19 Quarantine

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.557880 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Lorena Cecilia López Steinmetz ◽

Candela Abigail Leyes ◽

María Agustina Dutto Florio ◽

Shao Bing Fong ◽

Romina Lucrecia López Steinmetz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Health State ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

And Coping

Background: We aimed to: (1) analyze differences in both general (in terms of psychological well-being/discomfort, social functioning and coping, and psychological distress) and specific (depression, trait-anxiety, negative alcohol-related consequences, and suicidal risk) mental health state (MHS) in college students, residing in four different Argentinean regions (center, north, south, and the most populated) exposed to different spread-rates of the COVID-19; (2) analyze between-group differences in both general and specific MHS indicators at four quarantine sub-periods (twice prior, and twice following the first quarantine extension).Methods: We used a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample including 2,687 college students. Data was collected online during the Argentinean quarantine. We calculated one-way between-groups ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test.Results: Regionally, the center and the most populated area differed in psychological well-being/discomfort and negative alcohol-related consequences, but not in the remaining MHS indicators. According to the quarantine sub-periods, there were differences in psychological well-being/discomfort, social functioning and coping, psychological distress, and negative alcohol-related consequences. Negative alcohol-related consequences were the only MHS indicator improving over time. For all of the remaining MHS indicators, we found a similar deterioration pattern in the course of time, with mean scores decreasing from the first to the 2nd week of the quarantine pre-extensions, then increasing toward the 1st week of the quarantine post-extension (with some MHS indicators reaching mean scores worse than the start), and then continued to increase.Conclusion: A worsened mean MHS during quarantine suggests that quarantine and its extensions contribute to negative mental health impacts.

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