A Longitudinal Study of the Relations Among University Students' Subjective Social Status, Social Contact with University Friends, and Mental Health and Well-Being

Prior research has found that the higher one’s perceived status in society, the better one’s mental health and well-being. The present research used a longitudinal design to investigate whether social contact with friends mediated this relation between subjective social status and mental health and well-being among first-year undergraduate students at an Australian university (Wave 1 N = 749, Wave 2 N = 314). Participants completed an online survey that included measures of subjective social status, social contact with university friends during the past week, and mental health and well-being during the past week. Multiple regression analyses found that subjective social status positively predicted amount of social contact with university friends, and that both of these variables positively predicted subsequent mental health and well-being. Furthermore, bootstrapped mediation tests found that social contact with university friends acted as a significant mediator of the relations between social status and mental health and well-being. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the mental health and well-being of lower class students at university.

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Contribution of researchers in the Arab region to peer-reviewed literature on mental health and well-being of university students

International Journal of Mental Health Systems ◽

10.1186/s13033-021-00477-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Waleed M. Sweileh

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

University Students ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Arab Countries ◽

Research Articles ◽

Search Query ◽

Research Gaps ◽

Arab Region ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Objective The current study aimed at investigating the contribution of researchers in the Arab region to the field of mental health and well-being of university students using bibliometric tools. Method Relevant literature was obtained from the Scopus database for the period from 2001–2020. Examples of keywords used in the query included “college student”, “university student”, and undergraduate student” combined with keywords such as wellbeing, wellness, suicide, and anxiety. No language restriction was used. Only research articles were considered. The search query was validated. Bibliometric indicators and mappings such as active countries, institutions, authors, highly cited documents, and the most frequently encountered topics were identified and discussed to shed light on research gaps in the Arab region. Research gaps were also identified. The analysis was carried out on February 12, 2021. Results The search query returned 309 research articles published by authors from 17 different Arab countries. Less than one-third (n = 97, 31.4%) of the retrieved articles were carried out in collaboration with authors from 39 non-Arab countries, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States. The overall contribution of researchers from the Arab region to global research in the field was 5.6%. In total, 1212 authors from 791 different institutions participated in publishing the retrieved research articles. At the country level, Saudi Arabia (n = 125, 40.5%) ranked first, followed by Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon. At the institutional level, The University of Jordan (n = 25, 8.1%) ranked first, followed by King Saud University, and Kuwait University. The retrieved articles included 132 (42.7%) articles on stress/distress, 95 (30.7%) on anxiety, 61 (19.7%) on depression. Knowledge gaps on suicide, eating disorders, substance use, and happiness were identified. The retrieved articles appeared in 193 different journals and approximately two-thirds of the active journal were in general medicine, public health, and education. Conclusions The contribution of researchers in the Arab region to the field showed a noticeable increase with time. However, important research gaps were identified. The contribution was confined to authors from a limited number of Arab countries. Funding and international research collaboration for the mental health and well-being of students need to be strengthened.

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The mental health and well-being benefits of social contact and social support in animals.

Mental health and well-being in animals ◽

10.1079/9781786393401.0096 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 96-110

Author(s):

F. D. McMillan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Social Contact ◽

Well Being ◽

Health And Well Being

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Urban Living Environment and Mental Health of Older People: A Photovoice Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-92729/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuliya Mysyuk ◽

Guy Widdershoven ◽

Martijn Huisman

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older People ◽

Older Persons ◽

Important Determinant ◽

Social Contact ◽

Well Being ◽

Living Environment ◽

Visual Tool ◽

Definition Of ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Background Living environment has long been considered an important determinant of health. The aim of this study was to explore older people’s experiences with their living environment, their definition of, and their view on its possible impact on mental health and well-being.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in Amsterdam among 20 participants, 11 males and 9 females aged 55 to 70 years. We used photovoice as a visual tool to explore older persons’ unique experiences with, and perceptions of their living environment.ResultsOur findings show that social environment plays an important role in defining and shaping the living environment of older people. Older people’s living environment is a place where they feel safe and comfortable, have social contact with others, and stay active and involved.ConclusionPhotovoice was an effective method for documenting visual representation of salient aspects of older people’s living environment and capturing their experiences.

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Distress among Brazilian university students due to the Covid-19 pandemic: survey results and reflections

10.1101/2020.06.19.20135251 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Von Krakauer Hübner ◽

Marcella de Lima Bruscatto ◽

Rafaella Dourado Lima

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Medical Students ◽

University Students ◽

Mental Health Center ◽

Well Being ◽

Catholic University ◽

Brazilian Students ◽

Peritraumatic Distress ◽

Health And Well Being

AbstractThe first case of infection with the new coronavirus was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. In March, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined the disease epidemic as a pandemic. Thus, a quarantine was imposed by many governments. As a consequence, and given that epidemiological outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as Covid-19, are associated with psychological disorders and symptoms of mental illness, researchers at the Shanghai Mental Health Center have created the Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), in which the results are obtained: normal, mild/moderate distress and severe distress. The main objective of the study was based on the application of CPDI, in order to identify the health and well-being of Brazilian students from different undergraduate courses at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP) during the Covid-19 pandemic and to test the hypothesis that medical students suffer more than students from other courses. The research is based on a cross-sectional observational study, in which we applied, using Google FormsR, the questions contained in CPDI, among with demographic data: age, sex, educational institution, undergraduate course and school year. The Index was applied online for seven days in which a total of 654 valid responses were obtained: 501 (76.6%) female and 149 (22.8%) male. Regarding age, 333 students (50.91%) were 17-20 years old, 279 (42.66%) between 21-25, 30 (4.59%) between 26-30 and 12 (1.84%) between 31-50. The results indicate that the participants reported significant psychological distress, according to the CPDI score. Practically 90% (87.92%) of the students experienced suffering, while only 12.08% did not suffer. The study provides the first empirical evidence on the level of psychological distress in Brazilian university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, it suggests support and monitoring of university students during and after the pandemic, with effective and efficient intervention in their mental health.Summary boxesSECTION 1Researchers at the Shanghai Mental Health Center have created the Covid-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI), to measure the amount of psychological suffering of the population, due to the pandemic of Coronavirus. Before our research, the survey had been applicated in China and Iran. The main objective of the study was to identify with the survey, the health and well-being of Brazilian students from different undergraduate courses at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC/SP) during the Covid-19 pandemic and to test the hypothesis that medical students suffer more than students from other courses.SECTION 2The study provides the first empirical evidence on the level of psychological distress in Brazilian university students during the Covid-19 pandemic, practically 90% (87.92%) of the students experienced some suffering.

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A Person-Oriented Approach to Multidimensional Perfectionism: Perfectionism Profiles in Health and Well-Being

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment ◽

10.1177/0734282919877754 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 127-142

Author(s):

Danielle S. Molnar ◽

Fuschia M. Sirois ◽

Gordon L. Flett ◽

Stanley Sadava

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Chronic Illness ◽

University Students ◽

Physical Health ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Socially Prescribed Perfectionism ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Oriented Approach

Advances in understanding of the perfectionism construct have been limited by an almost exclusive reliance on a variable-centered approach. This study utilized a person-oriented approach to examine Hewitt and Flett’s conceptualization of multidimensional perfectionism in relation to health and well-being. Levels of conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism were also assessed. Cluster analyses were employed to examine within-person configurations of self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP) in university students ( n = 538) and adults with chronic illness ( n = 773). Five unique configurations were found in both samples and three clusters replicated across samples. “Extreme perfectionists” with high scores across all perfectionism dimensions reported relatively poor physical health, psychological health, psychosocial resources, and well-being along with elevated neuroticism and conscientiousness. A group distinguished by elevated SPP also reported relatively poorer outcomes along with elevated neuroticism and lower conscientiousness. In contrast, “nonperfectionists” reported relatively elevated levels of health and well-being. These profiles differed in their links with health and well-being even after taking into account key differences in conscientiousness and neuroticism. Our results illustrate the importance of employing a person-oriented approach to the study of multidimensional perfectionism, especially as it relates to physical health, mental health, and subjective well-being.

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Association between sleep and mental health and well-being among older adults in the canadian longitudinal study on aging

Sleep Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.906 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. S323-S324

Author(s):

R. Rodrigues ◽

K. Nicholson ◽

P. Wilk ◽

G. Guaiana ◽

S. Stranges ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Well Being ◽

Health And Well Being

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Contested meanings of mental health and well-being among university students

South African Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1177/0081246317731958 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 453-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vinitha Jithoo

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

University Students ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Problems ◽

Care Providers ◽

Health And Well Being

Emerging adults are an important group not only because their opinions and knowledge will determine future attitudes but also because of the emergence of mental health problems during young adulthood. In order to provide relevant support, academics, health care providers as well as policy makers need to be more cognisant of how emerging adults make meaning of their psycho-social developmental context. The objective of the study was to explore how a cohort of 150 university students made meaning of emotional well-being and mental illness, the causes of mental health problems, the negative connotations associated with mental ill health, help-seeking behaviours, and how culture was used as a lens through which mental well-being was understood. The main findings indicate that students struggle to fully understand these concepts mainly because it is shrouded in mystery and complexity and not engaged with freely because of stigma and stereotypical attitudes, and while culture provides a lens to understand the causes and interventions, emerging adults often adopt a level of scepticism and are beginning to vacillate between tradition and modernity. Emerging adults face many barriers to accessing health care services including limited knowledge and stigma related to services, lack of confidentiality, fear of mistreatment, location of facilities, and the high cost of services. Universities and government should actively engage with research evidence to inform policies and programmes to improve the health and well-being of emerging adults.

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