2010/11/06 by Helen M. Stallman · 3 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · #Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout #Mental Health Treatment and Access #Resilience and Mental Health
paper · doi:10.1080/00050067.2010.482109
crossref issued 2010/11/06 · crossref published 2010/11/06 · crossref published-online 2010/11/06 · openalex publication_date 2010/11/06 · crossref created 2010/11/06 · crossref published-print 2010/12/01 · crossref deposited 2021/07/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Objective: While the mental health of university students is recognised internationally as an important public health issue, more epidemiological data are needed that allows benchmarking with general population data. Methods: All enrolled students from two large Australian universities were invited to complete a web-based survey. Anxiety-mood disorders were assessed using the Kessler 10. A total of 6,479 students participated in the study with sociodemographics generally consistent with the university population. Results: The estimated prevalence for mental health problems was 19.2% with 67.4% reporting subsyndromal symptoms. These rates were significantly higher than the general population. Psychological distress was associated with disability and lower academic achievement. Predictors of distress included: full-time status, financial stress, being aged between and 18 and 34 years, being female, and in a subsequent undergraduate year of their degree. Conclusions: The extremely high prevalence of mental health problems in university students provides evidence for this being an at-risk population. Implications: The results highlight the need for universal early interventions to prevent the development of severe mental illness in university students.