Psychological Distress among College Students: Role of Food Insecurity and Other Social Determinants of Mental Health

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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Assessing positive mental health in people with chronic physical health problems: correlations with socio-demographic variables and physical health status

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/1471-2458-13-928 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Teresa Lluch-Canut ◽

◽

Montserrat Puig-Llobet ◽

Aurelia Sánchez-Ortega ◽

Juan Roldán-Merino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Physical Health ◽

Health Problems ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Positive Mental Health ◽

Physical Health Status ◽

Physical Health Problems

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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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Loneliness and Mental Health: Recommendations for Primary Care Intakes

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501327211027104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 215013272110271

Author(s):

Marissa Godfrey ◽

Pi-Ju Liu ◽

Aining Wang ◽

Stacey Wood

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Physical Health ◽

Social Integration ◽

Health Survey ◽

Household Income ◽

Regression Models ◽

Physical Health Status ◽

Health Measures ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Introduction/Objectives The healthcare intake process plays a significant role in informing medical personnel about patients’ demographic information, subjective health status, and health complaints. Intake forms can help providers personalize care to assist patients in getting proper referrals and treatment. Previous studies examined factors that could be included in intake forms independently, but this study analyzed loneliness, religiousness, household income, and social integration together to see how the combined effect influences mental and physical health status. This study aims to determine which of those 4 variables better inform patients’ mental versus physical health status. Methods One hundred and seventy-nine participants completed surveys, including the SF-12® Health Survey, measuring perceived physical and mental health, UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, and a demographics questionnaire with questions about household income and time spent dedicated to religious practice, if applicable. Additionally, individuals answered social integration questions about how often they contact close family and friends or volunteer in the community. Using loneliness, household income, religiousness, social integration as independent variables, and controlling for demographic variables such as age, gender, and race, 2 regression models were built with Mental and Physical Health Composite Scores from the the SF-12® Health Survey as dependent variables. Results Loneliness was associated with mental health measures ( b = −2.190, P < .001), while household income was associated with physical health measures ( b = 0.604, P = .019) above and beyond other variables in the regression models. Conclusions Integrating the 3 loneliness questions into intake forms can help approximate an individual’s mental health status. This would allow the provider to be able to assess mental health problems more effectively and provide needed resources.

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How College Students' Physical Health Relates to Coping

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1999.85.1.220 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 220-226 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gloria A. Leitschuh

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Health Status ◽

Drug Use ◽

Physical Health ◽

Multiple Regression ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽

Physical Health Status ◽

Medical Index ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between coping and physical health status was examined for 100 undergraduate students using the COPE scale and the Medical Index (formerly identified as the Cornell Medical Index). Using stepwise multiple regression, scores for COPE scales—alcohol or drug use, and focus on and venting of emotions accounted for significant amounts of variance (but only 10% and 5%, respectively) in the scores for physical health symptoms reported.

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Depression, Anxiety and Health Status in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(09)71134-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (S1) ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

M. Chylova ◽

J.P. van Dijk ◽

J. Rosenberger ◽

I. Nagyova ◽

M. Gavelova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Health Status ◽

Physical Health ◽

Functional Disability ◽

Age Groups ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Physical Health Status ◽

Physical And Mental Health

Aims:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults and is frequently accompanied by symptoms of depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to explore the association of depression and anxiety with health status in younger and older MS patients.Method:223 MS patients (67.3% female; mean age 38.9±10.8 years; mean disease duration 5.8±5.2 years) were divided into younger and older age groups (< 45 and ≥45 years). They completed questionnaires focusing on sociodemographic data, depression and anxiety (HADS), and physical and mental health status (SF-36). Functional disability (EDSS) was assessed by a neurologist. To analyse the data, a U-test and multiple linear regression analyses were performed.Results:A model consisting of age, gender, marital status, EDSS, depression and anxiety explained 46.6% of the variance in physical health status and 60.8% of the variance in mental health status (p≤.001). Depression was a significant predictor of physical health status in older MS patients and was associated with mental health status in both age groups (p≤0.001). Anxiety was related to worse physical and mental health status in younger MS patients, but not in the older ones.Conclusion:Depression in MS patients is associated with mental health status and with physical health status only in the older group; anxiety is associated only in younger MS patients with regard to their health status. Psychiatric diagnostics focusing on depression and anxiety might be important for treatment of MS patients in order to contribute to improving a patient's health status.

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Physical multimorbidity and lifetime suicidal ideation and plans among rural older adults: the mediating role of psychological distress

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03087-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhengyue Jing ◽

Jie Li ◽

Pei Pei Fu ◽

Yi Wang ◽

Yemin Yuan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Health Status ◽

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Rural Elderly ◽

Mental Health Status ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Effect Of Pd

Abstract Background Previous studies have revealed that single physical chronic condition was associated with suicidal ideation/plans, but few studies have examined the relationship between multimorbidity and suicidal ideation/plans, and no studies have explored the underlying potential mechanism on this relationship in China. This study aimed to explore association between physical multimorbidity and suicidal ideation as well as plans, and further examine the mediating role of psychological distress (PD) on this relationship. Methods This study was based on the data from a survey about the health service of rural elderly household in Shandong, China. A total of 3242 adults aged 60 years and older were included in this study. PD was measured by Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Ordinal and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the association between physical multimorbidity, PD and suicide ideation/plans. Bootstrapping analysis was further used to examine the mediation effect of PD on the association of multimorbidity and suicidal ideations/plans. Results The prevalence of multimorbidity, lifetime suicidal ideation, and suicidal plan in rural older adults was 35.2, 10.6 and 2.2%, respectively. Older adults living in rural areas with two or more chronic physical conditions experienced significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicidal plans. The association between multimorbidity and suicidal ideations/plans was partially mediated by PD, of which, the mediating effect of PD accounted for 31.7 and 25.5% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrated the associations between physical multimorbidity and suicidal ideation/plans, and the mediating role of PD on this relationship among Chinese rural elderly. Healthcare providers in rural community should provide regular surveillance for the mental health status among the rural elderly with multimorbidity, and carry out various effective intervention measures to improve the mental health status, so as to reduce the risk of suicide.

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The Effect of Shift Work on Lifestyle, Mental Health and Physical Health Status of Footwear Factory Workers: A Comparison between Night Shifts and Day Shifts

Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - An International Journal ◽

10.5958/0973-5674.2017.00116.2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S Kiran Sharma ◽

P Swati Srivastava ◽

A Prerna Panchal ◽

M Amarpreet Kaur

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Status ◽

Physical Health ◽

Shift Work ◽

Physical Health Status ◽

Factory Workers ◽

Night Shifts

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Food insecurity is associated with multiple chronic conditions and physical health status among older US adults

Preventive Medicine Reports ◽

10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101211 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 101211

Author(s):

Cindy W. Leung ◽

Jeffrey T. Kullgren ◽

Preeti N. Malani ◽

Dianne C. Singer ◽

Matthias Kirch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Physical Health ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Multiple Chronic Conditions ◽

Physical Health Status

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College Student Sleep Quality and Mental and Physical Health are Associated with Food Insecurity in a Multi-Campus Study

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021001191 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-23

Author(s):

Rebecca L. Hagedorn ◽

Melissa D. Olfert ◽

Lillian MacNell ◽

Bailey Houghtaling ◽

Lanae B. Hood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Physical Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

The Relationship ◽

Mental And Physical Health

Abstract Objective: To assess the relationship between food insecurity, sleep quality, and days with mental and physical health issues among college students. Design: An online survey was administered. Food insecurity was assessed using the 10-item Adult Food Security Survey Module. Sleep was measured using the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Mental health and physical health were measured using three items from the Healthy Days Core Module. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between food insecurity, sleep quality, and days with poor mental and physical health. Setting: Twenty-two higher education institutions. Participants: College students (n=17,686) enrolled at one of 22 participating universities. Results: Compared to food secure students, those classified as food insecure (43.4%) had higher PSQI scores indicating poorer sleep quality (p<.0001) and reported more days with poor mental (p<.0001) and physical (p<.0001) health as well as days when mental and physical health prevented them from completing daily activities (p<.0001). Food insecure students had higher adjusted odds of having poor sleep quality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]:1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.14), days with poor physical health (AOR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02), days with poor mental health (AOR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.03), and days when poor mental or physical health prevented them from completing daily activities (AOR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.04). Conclusions: College students report high food insecurity which is associated with poor mental and physical health and sleep quality. Multi-level policy changes and campus wellness programs are needed to prevent food insecurity and improve student health-related outcomes.

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