IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i19p12670-d932932.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Mental Health among University Students: Do Sex and Academic Level Matter?

Author

Listed:
  • Carsten Müller

    (Department of Applied Health Sciences, Hochschule für Gesundheit, 44801 Bochum, Germany
    University Sports, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany)

  • Kareem El-Ansari

    (Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11591, Egypt)

  • Walid El Ansari

    (Department of Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar
    College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
    Weill Cornell Medicine—Qatar, Doha 24144, Qatar)

Abstract

University students’ mental health and well-being is a growing public health concern. There is a lack of studies assessing a broad range of mental health domains by sex and academic level of study. This cross-sectional online survey of BSc, MSc, and PhD students ( n = 3353, 67% female) enrolled at one university in Germany assessed a wide scope of mental health domains, covering positive (i.e., self-rated health, self-esteem, student engagement) and negative aspects (i.e., perceived stress, irritation, and screening positive for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress). We evaluated differences in mental health by sex and academic level. Overall, although self-rated health did not differ by sex and academic level, females and lower academic level were associated with less favorable mental health. Males reported higher prevalence of high self-esteem, and higher engagement (all p ≤ 0.04). Conversely, mean perceived stress and cognitive/emotional irritation were higher among females, as were rates for positive screenings for anxiety, anxiety and depression comorbidity, and psychological distress ( p < 0.001 for all). Likewise, lower academic level (BSc) was associated with lower rates of high self-esteem ( p ≤ 0.001), increased perceived stress ( p < 0.001), and higher prevalence of positive screening for depression, anxiety, comorbidity, and psychological distress ( p ≤ 0.002 for all), while higher academic level (PhD) was linked to increased student engagement ( p < 0.001 for all). Although the effect sizes of sex and academic level on student mental health were modest, these findings support a need for action to establish and expand early detection and prevention programs, on-campus advisory services, and peer counseling that focus on the sex-specific and academic-study-level-specific factors, as well as mental health and career development resources for students. Academics and policy makers need to consider multipronged intervention strategies to boost confidence of students and their academic career.

Suggested Citation

  • Carsten Müller & Kareem El-Ansari & Walid El Ansari, 2022. "Cross-Sectional Analysis of Mental Health among University Students: Do Sex and Academic Level Matter?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12670-:d:932932
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12670/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12670/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carsten Müller & Kareem El-Ansari & Walid El Ansari, 2022. "Health-Promoting Behavior and Lifestyle Characteristics of Students as a Function of Sex and Academic Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Yolanda Navarro-Abal & Juan Gómez-Salgado & María José López-López & José Antonio Climent-Rodríguez, 2018. "Organisational Justice, Burnout, and Engagement in University Students: A Comparison between Stressful Aspects of Labour and University Organisation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-12, September.
    3. Elena Fernández-Martínez & Elena Andina-Díaz & Rosario Fernández-Peña & Rosa García-López & Iván Fulgueiras-Carril & Cristina Liébana-Presa, 2017. "Social Networks, Engagement and Resilience in University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Georgios Papazisis & Panagiotis Nicolaou & Evangelia Tsiga & Theodora Christoforou & Despina Sapountzi‐Krepia, 2014. "Religious and spiritual beliefs, self‐esteem, anxiety, and depression among nursing students," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 232-238, June.
    5. Marta Gil-Lacruz & María Luisa Gracia-Pérez & Ana Isabel Gil-Lacruz, 2019. "Learning by Doing and Training Satisfaction: An Evaluation by Health Care Professionals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-13, April.
    6. Enrique Ramón-Arbués & Vicente Gea-Caballero & José Manuel Granada-López & Raúl Juárez-Vela & Begoña Pellicer-García & Isabel Antón-Solanas, 2020. "The Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress and Their Associated Factors in College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-15, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Krisztina Szegedi & Zsuzsanna Győri & Tímea Juhász, 2024. "Factors affecting quality of life and learning-life balance of university students in business higher education," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cristina Liébana-Presa & Elena Andina-Díaz & María-Mercedes Reguera-García & Iván Fulgueiras-Carril & David Bermejo-Martínez & Elena Fernández-Martínez, 2018. "Social Network Analysis and Resilience in University Students: An Approach from Cohesiveness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Pablo Usán Supervía & Carlos Salavera Bordás, 2020. "Burnout, Goal Orientation and Academic Performance in Adolescent Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-11, September.
    3. Jessica Franzen & Françoise Jermann & Paolo Ghisletta & Serge Rudaz & Guido Bondolfi & Nguyen Toan Tran, 2021. "Psychological Distress and Well-Being among Students of Health Disciplines: The Importance of Academic Satisfaction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-9, February.
    4. Yasuhiro Kotera & Freya Tsuda-McCaie & Ann-Marie Edwards & Divya Bhandari & Geraldine Maughan, 2021. "Self-Compassion in Irish Social Work Students: Relationships between Resilience, Engagement and Motivation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-13, August.
    5. Ewa Kupcewicz & Elżbieta Grochans & Marzena Mikla & Helena Kadučáková & Marcin Jóźwik, 2020. "Role of Global Self-Esteem in Predicting Life Satisfaction of Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-13, July.
    6. Emma Motrico & Jose A. Salinas-Perez & Maria Luisa Rodero-Cosano & Sonia Conejo-Cerón, 2021. "Editors’ Comments on the Special Issue “Social Determinants of Mental Health”," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-9, April.
    7. Telmo Raul Aveiro-Róbalo & Luciana Daniela Garlisi-Torales & Marisella Chumán-Sánchez & César J. Pereira-Victorio & Mariana Huaman-Garcia & Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas & Mario J. Valladares-Garrido, 2022. "Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in University Students in Paraguay during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf & Azmawati Mohammed Nawi & Noorlaili Mohd Tauhid & Hanita Othman & Mohd Rizam Abdul Rahman & Hanizah Mohd Yusoff & Nazarudin Safian & Pei Yuen Ng & Zahara Abdul Manaf & Nor Ba’y, 2021. "Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life amongst Employees in a Malaysian Public University," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-19, October.
    9. Anna Bartosiewicz & Edyta Łuszczki & Andrzej Różański & Małgorzata Nagórska, 2019. "Analysis of Determinants of Readiness for Professional Development Among Polish Nurses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-12, May.
    10. Edyta Skwirczyńska & Mateusz Kozłowski & Katarzyna Nowak & Oskar Wróblewski & Agnieszka Sompolska-Rzechuła & Sebastian Kwiatkowski & Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska, 2022. "Anxiety Assessment in Polish Students during the Russian–Ukrainian War," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.
    11. Ebrahim A. Al-Shaer & Meqbel M. Aliedan & Mohamed A. Zayed & Musaddag Elrayah & Mohamed A. Moustafa, 2024. "Mental Health and Quality of Life among University Students with Disabilities: The Moderating Role of Religiosity and Social Connectedness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-23, January.
    12. Zhixuan Liao & Xiaomao Fan & Wenjun Ma & Yingshan Shen, 2024. "An Examination of Mental Stress in College Students: Utilizing Intelligent Perception Data and the Mental Stress Scale," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-14, May.
    13. Simone Rollo & Claudia Venuleo & Lucrezia Ferrante & Raffaele De Luca Picione, 2023. "What Adolescents Have to Say about Problematic Internet Use: A Qualitative Study Based on Focus Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(21), pages 1-19, November.
    14. Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual & Irene Cambra Badii & Joan-Carles Casas-Baroy & Cristina Altarriba & Anna Comella Company & Ramon Pujol-Farriols & Josep-Eladi Baños & Paola Galbany-Estragués & Agustí Com, 2022. "Psychological Distress, Burnout, and Academic Performance in First Year College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-13, March.
    15. David Martínez-Rubio & Juan P. Sanabria-Mazo & Albert Feliu-Soler & Ariadna Colomer-Carbonell & Cristina Martínez-Brotóns & Silvia Solé & Cristina Escamilla & Elisa Giménez-Fita & Yolanda Moreno & Adr, 2020. "Testing the Intermediary Role of Perceived Stress in the Relationship between Mindfulness and Burnout Subtypes in a Large Sample of Spanish University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.
    16. Drenjak Jasna Lulić & Užičanin Edin & Zenić Nataša, 2023. "Sport, Physical Activity and (Harmful) Alcohol Drinking in University Students During the First Year After COVID-19 Pandemic: Gender-Stratified Cross-Sectional Study," Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, Sciendo, vol. 30(2), pages 15-21, June.
    17. Blanca Rosa García-Rivera & Ignacio Alejandro Mendoza-Martínez & Jorge Luis García-Alcaraz & Jesús Everardo Olguín-Tiznado & Claudia Camargo Wilson & Mónica Fernanda Araníbar & Pedro García-Alcaraz, 2022. "Influence of Resilience on Burnout Syndrome of Faculty Professors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-19, January.
    18. Vanessa Blanco & Mar Salmerón & Patricia Otero & Fernando L. Vázquez, 2021. "Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress and Prevalence of Major Depression and Its Predictors in Female University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-18, May.
    19. Azizah Alyoubi & Elizabeth J. Halstead & Zoe Zambelli & Dagmara Dimitriou, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Mental Health and Sleep in Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-16, September.
    20. Julia Burlaka & Renee M. Johnson & Christina N. Marsack-Topolewski & Kathryn Hughesdon & Jill Owczarzak & Oleksii Serdiuk & Roman Bogdanov & Viktor Burlaka, 2024. "Association between Current Substance Use, Healthy Behaviors, and Depression among Ukrainian College Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-12, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12670-:d:932932. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.