The relation of depression and anxiety to life‐stress and achievement in students
2004/11/01 by Bernice Andrews, John M. Wilding, J. M. Wilding · 927 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Affect (linguistics) #Anxiety #Clinical psychology #Depression (economics) #Health and Well-being Studies #Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout #Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale #Medical Education and Admissions #Mental health #Psychiatry #Psychology
paper · doi:10.1348/0007126042369802
published in British Journal of Psychology 95(4), 509-521 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2004/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: An apparent increase in seriously disturbed students consulting student health services in the UK has led to concern that increasing financial difficulties and other outside pressures may affect student mental health and academic performance. The current research investigated whether student anxiety and depression increases after college entry, the extent to which adverse life experiences contribute to any increases, and the impact of adversity, anxiety and depression on exam performance. METHOD: 351 UK-domiciled undergraduates completed questionnaires one month before university entry and mid-course. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS: Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) was administered at both time points and a modified List of Threatening Experiences (Brugha, Bebbington, Tennant, & Hurry, 1985) was administered mid-course. RESULTS: By mid-course 9% of previously symptom-free students became depressed and 20% became anxious at a clinically significant level. Of those previously anxious or depressed 36% had recovered. After adjusting for pre-entry symptoms, financial difficulties made a significant independent contribution to depression and relationship difficulties independently predicted anxiety. Depression and financial difficulties mid-course predicted a decrease in exam performance from first to second year. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to confirm empirically that financial and other difficulties can increase British students' levels of anxiety and depression and that financial difficulties and depression can affect academic performance. However, university life may also have a beneficial effect for some students with pre-existing conditions. With widening participation in higher education, the results have important implications for educational and health policies.
Citations
Cited by
- The impact of canine-assisted intervention on stress reduction among university students in Thailand
- The Rise and Fall of Depressive Symptoms and Academic Stress in Two Samples of University Students
- Psychological correlates of university students' academic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Time-trajectories of depression, social anxiety, and social functioning throughout college
- Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation among Irish Undergraduate College Students
- Academic and non-academic predictors of student psychological distress: the role of social identity and loneliness
- The University Stress Scale: Measuring Domains and Extent of Stress in University Students
- Resilience at University: the development and testing of a new measure
- The prevalence of psychological distress in an Australian TAFE sample and the relationships between psychological distress, emotion-focused coping and academic success
- A Longitudinal Study of Financial Difficulties and Mental Health in a National Sample of British Undergraduate Students
- The mediators of minority ethnic underperformance in final medical school examinations
- Stress and the higher education student: a critical review of the literature
- Stress management interventions for college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Prevalence and persistence of depression among undergraduate medical students: a longitudinal study at one UK medical school. [europepmc]
- Computer-delivered and web-based interventions to improve depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being of university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. [europepmc]
- The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between stress and life satisfaction among Chinese medical students: a cross-sectional study. [europepmc]
- Mental health first aid training for Australian medical and nursing students: an evaluation study. [europepmc]
- The Adult Repetitive Behaviours Questionnaire-2 (RBQ-2A): A Self-Report Measure of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours. [europepmc]
- A Longitudinal Study of Financial Difficulties and Mental Health in a National Sample of British Undergraduate Students. [europepmc]
- Depression, Anxiety and Symptoms of Stress among Baccalaureate Nursing Students in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study. [europepmc]
- Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning. [europepmc]
- Effects of mental health interventions for students in higher education are sustainable over time: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. [europepmc]
- Effectiveness of an Internet- and App-Based Intervention for College Students With Elevated Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial. [europepmc]
- The association between depression, anxiety and substance use among Canadian post-secondary students. [europepmc]
- Mental Health, Academic Self-Efficacy and Study Progress Among College Students - The SHoT Study, Norway. [europepmc]
- Prevalence of mental health problems among medical students in China: A meta-analysis. [europepmc]
- Changes in Undergraduate Students' Psychological Well-Being as They Experience University Life. [europepmc]
- Financial stress and mental health among higher education students in the UK up to 2018: rapid review of evidence. [europepmc]
- Efficacy of the Digital Therapeutic Mobile App BioBase to Reduce Stress and Improve Mental Well-Being Among University Students: Randomized Controlled Trial. [europepmc]
- The Impacts of Uncertainty Stress on Mental Disorders of Chinese College Students: Evidence From a Nationwide Study. [europepmc]
- Predictors of mental health and academic outcomes in first-year university students: Identifying prevention and early-intervention targets. [europepmc]
- Mental health status of the general population, healthcare professionals, and university students during 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak in Jordan: A cross-sectional study. [europepmc]
- Predicting adaptive and maladaptive responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak: A prospective longitudinal study. [europepmc]
- A longitudinal cohort study to explore the relationship between depression, anxiety and academic performance among Emirati university students. [europepmc]
- The association between depression symptoms, psychological burden caused by Covid-19 and physical activity: An investigation in Germany, Italy, Russia, and Spain. [europepmc]
- A Comparison of Depression and Anxiety among University Students in Nine Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic. [europepmc]
- Using AI chatbots to provide self-help depression interventions for university students: A randomized trial of effectiveness. [europepmc]
- Supporting mental health and wellbeing of university and college students: A systematic review of review-level evidence of interventions. [europepmc]
Related