Decline in the severity or the incidence of schizophrenia in Japan: A survey of university students

Prevalence of university non-continuation and mental health conditions, and effect of mental health conditions on non-continuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

University non-continuation, also termed as university dropout in literature, is a concern for institutions. Elevated stress levels, mental distress, and psychiatric issues affect academic performance and thus may contribute to non-continuation. There is a lack of systematic reviews exploring the link between mental health and university non-continuation.

AIM

This systematic review aims to bridge this gap, by investigating the prevalence of non-continuation and mental health conditions among university students, and the impact of mental health on university non-continuation.

METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines this review synthesized data from 67 studies, utilising both narrative synthesis and meta-analytic techniques.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the included studies reported a range of university non-continuation rates (5.9% to 43.6%) with a pooled prevalence of 17.9%, 95% CI [14.2%, 22.3%]. The prevalence of mental health concerns among students varied widely (2.2% to 83.6%), with a pooled prevalence of 26.3%, 95% CI [16.0%, 40.0%]. Depression, OR = 1.143 (95% CI [1.086, 1.203] p<.001), stress, OR = 1.413 (95% CI [1.106, 1.805], p=.006), and other mental health conditions, OR = 1.266 (95% CI [1.133, 1.414], p<.001), were associated with higher non-continuation.

CONCLUSION

Some mental health conditions elevate non-continuation risks, and addressing mental health may enhance student retention in higher education.

Incidence, prevalence, and mortality of schizophrenia from 2016 to 2020 in Shandong, China

The epidemiology of schizophrenia has been reported in many countries. However, due to the limitations of those studies, the findings cannot be generalized to other parts of the world, especially in China. In this study, the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of schizophrenia in Shandong, China were calculated using data from the National Severe Mental Disorder Registration System collected between 2016 and 2020 and census data from 2010 to 2020. The overall incidence decreased from 9.61 per 100,000 in 2016 to 4.40 per 100,000 in 2020, the aggregate prevalence was approximately 3.20 per 1000, and the overall mortality ranged from 6.17 per 100,000 to 7.71 per 100,000. The evidence from this study indicated that the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of schizophrenia were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Females had higher incidence, prevalence, and mortality than males. This study provided epidemiological information on schizophrenia and opened avenues for future research.

A study in University of Ruhuna for investigating prevalence, risk factors and remedies for psychiatric illnesses among students

There is no comprehensive study on the mental health of Sri Lankan undergraduate in higher education, as most existing studies have been done for medical students only. It is unknown how academic and environmental factors contribute for the prevalence of psychiatric illnesses. Further, there is no sufficient information on the student/university based remedies to reduce the psychological distress of students. This research is carried out to find the overall psychological distress, well-being, prevalence percentages of psychiatric illnesses, associated risk factors, and student/university remedies to overcome them. We use standard questionnaires to screen for psychiatric illnesses, and we analyze the responses for our own questionnaire using Binary logistic regression analysis to identify demographic factors, academic factors, and environmental factors causing each mental disorder. We use Pearson correlation coefficient to identify correlation between prevalence of each psychiatric illnesses. All 13 psychiatric illnesses were found with a moderate correlation among diseases having a mean prevalence percentage of 28 and a standard deviation of 14.36, despite the prevalence of well-being factors among students and only 8% are clinically diagnosed. 89% of the students were suffering from at least one psychiatric illness and 68% were found to be psychologically distressed. Sets of overall and individual demographic, academic, and environmental risk factors contributing for the prevalence of a psychiatric illness in general and in particular were identified respectively after a binary logistic regression analysis. 61% of the students don't receive psychiatric help from the university and are using their own remedies. The universities must consider the environmental and academic risk factors associated with psychiatric illnesses and design curriculum, expand resources, and provide counseling services to reduce the impact of risk factors.

Trends in college students' mental health diagnoses and utilization of services, 2009-2015

Objective: To examine changes in diagnoses/treatment for 12 mental health (MH) conditions, previous use of campus MH services, and willingness to seek MH services in the future. Participants: ACHA-NCHA II participants from 2009 to 2015 (n = 454,029). Methods: Hierarchical binary logistic regression with step 1 controlling for demographics and step 2 considering time. Results: Time was significant except for bipolar disorder, bulimia, and schizophrenia with increases for all conditions except substance abuse. Anxiety (OR = 1.68), panic attacks (OR = 1.61), and ADHD (OR = 1.40) had the highest odd ratios. Use of MH services at current institution (OR = 1.30) and willingness to utilize services in the future (OR = 1.37) also increased over time. Conclusions: Based on a national sample, self-reported diagnoses/treatment of several MH conditions are increasing among college students. This examination of a variety of MH issues can aid college health professionals to engage institutional stakeholders regarding the resources needed to support college students' MH.