Substance use and mental health problems among graduate students: Individual and program-level correlates

The differing relationships between academic discipline, sleep hygiene, and dysfunctional sleep attitudes on sleep quality and duration in Canadian university students

Objectives

This study sought to understand how university student's academic discipline relates to sleep factors including attitudes, hygiene, quality, and duration.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional approach, a 30-min survey was advertised to students at two Canadian universities in March of 2022. Sleep measures included the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes Scale, the Sleep Hygiene Index, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Academic discipline was categorized into four groups: Health, Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. Multiple linear regressions were used to investigate (1) the effect of academic discipline on sleep measures, and (2) the effect of academic discipline, dysfunctional sleep attitudes, and sleep hygiene practices on insomnia, sleep quality and duration.

Results

1,566 students completed the survey (69.4% women; 80.3% undergraduates). Compared to Health students, Art students had worse dysfunctional sleep attitudes, hygiene, quality, and insomnia severity (p < 0.001). This relationship disappeared after controlling for differences in mental health (p ≥ 0.05). Art students had longer sleep durations (p < 0.01), whereas Engineering students had shorter sleep durations (p < 0.05). When dysfunctional sleep attitudes and hygiene were included in the model, both academic discipline (p < 0.05) and sleep hygiene (p < 0.001) were associated with sleep duration. Sleep hygiene and attitudes were also associated with sleep quality and insomnia severity (p < 0.001), while academic discipline was not (p ≥ 0.05).

Discussion

These results suggest differences in sleep quality across academic discipline are impacted by dysfunctional sleep attitudes, sleep hygiene, and mental health, whereas differences in sleep duration appear to be independent of these factors. Overall, students in different academic disciplines have unique relationships with sleep and thus may require targeted approaches to improve their sleep. Future interventions should focus on supporting sleep hygiene and attitudes to improve students' sleep and well-being.

The Associations Between Drinking Motives and Alcohol-Related Consequences in Graduate Students from Universities in the United States

Many college students "mature out" of heavy drinking when they graduate. Yet, those who go onto graduate education report engaging in problematic drinking patterns. Drinking motives are one factor that uniquely predicts problematic drinking patterns in college students. Evidence suggests that these unique associations also generalize to individuals' post-college, specifically between drinking motives and specific alcohol-related consequences. However, no research to date has examined the association between drinking motives and alcohol-related consequences in graduate students. The current study aimed to examine the unique associations between drinking motives, and drinks per week and specific alcohol-related consequences. Participants included 330 graduate students from various universities in the United States, recruited through social media. The majority of participants were White (71.3%), 54.9% female identifying, with a mean age of 26. Results revealed that conformity motives were positively associated with drinks per week, self-control consequences, self-care consequences, risky consequences, academic/occupational consequences, and blackout consequences. Social motives were negatively associated with interpersonal consequences and academic/occupational consequences. Enhancement motives were negatively associated with drinks per week, and positively associated with academic/occupational consequences. However, coping motivation was not associated with any of the outcomes. These findings highlight the need to further understand how drinking motives influence specific types of alcohol-related consequences as these associations change post-college. Results can be used to better inform future prevention and interventions for this population.

Daily stress, and mental health of professional degree graduate students in Chinese traditional medicine universities: the mediating role of learning career adaptation

BACKGROUND

With the expansion of professional degree graduate students' enrollment in China education, the mental health of these professional degree graduate students in medical-related majors who are under pressure of study, scientific research, clinical practice, and employment should not be ignored. What is the mental health level of these graduate students under the effect of learning career adaptation (internal resources) in the face of daily stress (external factors)? The purpose of this study is to discuss the relationship between these variables, and the mediating role of learning career adaptation of professional degree graduate students in traditional Chinese medicine colleges, and universities, to provide a theoretical basis for improving the learning career adaptation of students, and improving the level of mental health.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1593 professional degree graduate students majoring in clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and nursing in five traditional Chinese medicine universities. Finally, 660 questionnaires were returned, with a recovery rate of 41.43%. The scores of daily stress, learning career adaptation, and mental health were measured by Daily Stressors Scale for graduate students, graduate-students learning career adaptation scale, and General Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the status quo of daily stress, learning career adaptation, and mental health. Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the relationship between them. we undertake analyses using structural equation modeling to construct the latent variable path model of daily stress, learning career adaptation on mental health. The significance level of the mediating effect was tested by the non-parametric percentile bootstrap method.

RESULTS

The scores of mental health, daily stress, and learning career adaptation were 50.56 ± 10.80, 35.12 ± 19.55, and 67.13 ± 7.48 respectively. Daily stress was negatively correlated with the three dimensions of learning career adaptation: career confidence, focus on his career, and career control (P < 0.01). Daily stress was positively correlated with depression and anxiety (P < 0.01). Self-affirmation, depression, and anxiety were negatively correlated with career confidence, focus on his career, and career control (P < 0.05). Learning career adaptation plays a partial mediating role between daily stress, and mental health (p < 0.001), with an intermediate effect value of 0.127, representing 28.54% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental health, learning career adaption of medical-related professional degree graduate students in traditional Chinese medical universities were at a moderate degree, and an upper-middle level respectively, while daily stress is to a lesser extent. Learning career adaptation mediates the relationship between daily stress, and mental health partially. To some extent, it can buffer the impact of daily stress on mental health, especially anxiety. The educational administrator could take various measures to improve the mental health of professional degree graduate students. It can also enhance their learning career adaptation from the perspective of individuals, and organizations to improve their mental health.

Mental Health Problems Among Graduate Students in Turkey: a Cross-Sectional Study

In this study, depression/anxiety and academic distress were investigated among graduate students in Turkey. The study sample comprised 459 graduate students who voluntarily completed an online survey (294 women, 64%). Independent t-tests and multivariate analyses were performed to examine group differences. The results confirmed that depression/anxiety and academic distress scores varied according to sociodemographic variables. Whereas depression/anxiety and academic distress did not show significant differences in terms of gender and place of residence, students who had previously sought psychological help had higher levels of depression/anxiety and academic distress. Younger age, being a master's student, and being single increased the risk of having higher levels of depression/anxiety and academic distress. University counseling centers may benefit from these findings in efforts to identify graduate students at risk and apply appropriate prevention and intervention strategies.

Student loans, mental health, and substance use: A gender comparison among US young adults

Objective: Student loan debt has become a growing crisis. Considering that women are more likely than men to take on student loans and more likely to take on larger amounts, we examine whether the effects of student loans on young adults' mental health and substance use differ by gender. Participants: We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) data collected from 1997 to 2015. The NLSY97 consists of a nationally representative sample of American youths born between 1980 and 1984. Participants included 2,607 men and 3,004 women who reported college enrollment. Methods: We analyzed data using hybrid regression models. Results: Student loans have more negative effects on young men than young women, in terms of mental health problems, smoking, and heavy drinking. Particularly, young men tend to increase substance use in response to cumulative loan amounts. Conclusions: Borrowing patterns and the health consequences of student loans are gendered.

Changes in basic psychological needs, passion, and well-being of first-semester graduate students

OBJECTIVE

Examine changes in graduate student health and well-being in the first semester.

PARTICIPANTS

Full-time, first-semester graduate students (N = 74) from a midsized midwestern university.

METHOD

Graduate students were surveyed prior to starting their master's program and 10 weeks later. Passion for academics, basic psychological needs, physical and mental health symptoms, positive and negative affects, and quality of life were assessed.

RESULTS

Need satisfaction, harmonious passion, and indicators of well-being decreased across the first semester, whereas need frustration and indicators of ill-being increased over the first semester. Obsessive passion, harmonious passion, need satisfaction, and need frustration were associated with students' well-being at the end of the semester, with need frustration being the most robust predictor.

CONCLUSIONS

Although most graduate students reported good general health and moderately low mental health symptoms, findings suggest that a need supportive environment may contribute to better health and well-being.

Work-related coping behaviour and experience patterns in university students: a review of 20 years of research

Work-related coping behaviour and experience patterns (WCEP) is the conceptualisation of personal experience with occupational stress and of the typical behavioural responses for coping with such stress. The objective of this review, which is based on 69 references that used the WCEP inventory in university students, is to offer a comprehensive overview of the findings on WCEP and their correlates in the student population. The results of the published studies consistently show that female students, teacher education students (compared to medical students) and students who receive insufficient social and financial support are at greater risk for being assigned to work-related patterns that indicate vulnerability to burnout and occupational health issues. Moreover, students assigned to these patterns, especially to the resigned (burnout) pattern, are prone to manifest other negative characteristics, such as less adaptive personality traits and coping strategies, vulnerability to stress, lower quality motivation, lack of commitment to the chosen career and suitability for the profession, and impaired physical and mental health. In contrast, the most desirable correlates, such as adaptive personality traits, higher quality motivation, commitment to the chosen career, suitability for the profession, stress resistance, adaptive coping and better physical and mental health, were related to the healthy ambitious pattern. Nevertheless, further research is needed to analyse work-related coping behaviour and experience patterns beyond the German speaking population to increase the generalisability of the findings.

Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

BACKGROUND

Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders.

RESULTS

Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help.

CONCLUSIONS

Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.

Factors associated with anxiety and depression among U.S. doctoral students: Evidence from the gradSERU survey

Objective: This study examined whether program climate factors, stressors, demographic, and institutional variables were associated with doctoral students' clinically significant generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder symptoms. Participants: This study examined doctoral students' responses from the gradSERU survey, which was administered at five U.S. public research universities in 2017-2018 (n = 2,582). Methods: This study utilized confirmatory factor analysis and binary logistic regression. Results: Sense of belonging reduced doctoral students' odds of clinically significant anxiety and depression symptoms, while academic stressors, relationships stressors, and financial stressors increased such odds. There were no differences in the odds of clinically significant symptoms based on students' academic program. Students identifying as heterosexual or straight had significantly reduced odds of clinically significant symptoms for both disorders than lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning students. Conclusions: The results can aid institutional stakeholders in developing interventions that may be associated with the wellness of their students.

Insights Into Needs and Preferences for Mental Health Support on Social Media and Through Mobile Apps Among Black Male University Students: Exploratory Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Black college-aged men are less likely than their peers to use formal, therapeutic in-person services for mental health concerns. As the use of mobile technologies and social media platforms is steadily increasing, it is important to conduct work that examines the future utility of digital tools and technologies to improve access to and uptake of mental health services for Black men and Black men in college.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify and understand college-attending Black men's needs and preferences for using digital health technologies and social media for stress and mental health symptom management.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with Black male students (N=11) from 2 racially diverse universities in the Midwestern United States. Participants were asked questions related to their current mental health needs and interest in using social media platforms and mobile-based apps for their mental health concerns. A thematic analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Four themes emerged from the data: current stress relief strategies, technology-based support needs and preferences (subthemes: mobile-based support and social media-based support), resource information dissemination considerations (subthemes: information-learning expectations and preferences and information-sharing preferences and behaviors), and technology-based mental health support design considerations (subtheme: relatability and representation). Participants were interested in using social media and digital technologies for their mental health concerns and needs, for example, phone notifications and visual-based mental health advertisements that promote awareness. Relatability in the context of representation was emphasized as a key factor for participants interested in using digital mental health tools. Examples of methods for increasing relatability included having tools disseminated by minority-serving organizations and including components explicitly portraying Black men engaging in mental health support strategies. The men also discussed wanting to receive recommendations for stress relief that have been proven successful, particularly for Black men.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this study provide insights into design and dissemination considerations for future work geared toward developing mental health messaging and digital interventions for young Black men.

Mental Health and Healthy Habits in University Students: A Comparative Associative Study

There is evidence of increased psychopathology in university students and its relationship with unhealthy lifestyle habits. The objective of this work is to examine the prevalence and differences in psychopathological symptoms and lifestyle in a sample of university students according to educational levels and area of knowledge. A comparative associative study was conducted with 1405 university students. The results indicated significant differences in psychopathology and habits in the different groups. The prevalence of psychopathology found was high, especially depressive and anxious pathologies. This incidence tends to be higher in undergraduates and/or Arts and Humanities, coinciding with those who tend to have poorer lifestyle habits. The promising contributions from this study facilitate the early detection of university students with a risk profile for the appearance or exacerbation of psychopathology, as well as the design of psychological intervention programs aimed at the psychological well-being of this population.

The Effects of Research Activities on Biomedical Students' Mental Health: A National Cross-Sectional Study

Mental health disorders are prevalent among biomedical students, and scientific research is one of their main activities, yet less is known about the relationship between research activities and mental health among these students. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the associations between research activities and mental health and to identify the potential risk factors for anxiety and depression among biomedical students in China. This study enrolled 1,079 participants between November 2020 and December 2020 from 29 Chinese provinces and collected participants' basic characteristics, work situations, scientific achievements, and potential stress sources via an online questionnaire. Anxiety and depression were evaluated by two widely used scales, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), respectively. The study also assessed the associations between scientific research duration and mental health. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the predictors of anxiety and depression. Among the participants, 39.02% scored as having moderate to severe anxiety, and 37.54% scored as having moderate to severe depression. When the Youden index reached its maximum, the optimal cutoff was 7.17 h for the GAD-7 and 6.83 h for the PHQ-9. After adjustment for confounders, a longer research work duration was significantly associated with a higher anxiety [odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.44, p < 0.01] and depression (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.39, p < 0.01). Of all the participants working for 7 h a day, 37.04% had already published at least one paper and 25.93% had at least one Science Citation Index paper. Anxiety and depression are common among biomedical students. The research work duration of 7 h a day is the best cutoff for mental health, and it is associated with acceptable scientific research achievements. Not more than 7 h a day on research is recommended for biomedical students to maintain a balance between mental health and scientific research achievements.

Prevalence and changes in depressive symptoms among postgraduate students: A systematic review and meta-analysis from 1980 to 2020

Education actively helps us develop our well-being and health, but postgraduate students are at high risk of depression. The prevalence of depression symptoms varies from 6.2% to 84.7% among them, and its changes throughout the years remains unclear. The present study aimed to estimate the real prevalence of depression symptoms among postgraduate students and the changes from 1980 to 2020. Thirty-seven primary studies with 41 independent reports were included in the meta-analysis (none reports were in high-quality, three were medium-to-high quality, 20 were low-to-medium quality, and 18 were low-quality), involving 27,717 postgraduate students. The pooled prevalence of overall, mild, moderate, and severe depression symptoms was 34% (95% CI: 28-40, I²  = 98.6%), 27% (95% CI: 22-32, I²  = 85.8%), 13% (95% CI: 8-21, I²  = 97.3%), and 8% (95% CI: 6-11, I²  = 81.0%), respectively. Overall, the prevalence of depression symptoms remained relatively constant through the years following 1980 (overall: β = -0.12, 95% CI: [-0.39, 0.15], p = 0.39; mild: β = 0.24, 95% CI: [-0.02, 0.51], p = 0.07; moderate: β = -0.24, 95% CI: [-0.75, 0.26], p = 0.34; severe: β = 0.13, 95% CI: [-0.25, 0.51], p = 0.50). Doctoral students experienced more depressive symptoms than did master's students (43% vs. 27%; Q = 2.23, df = 1, p = 0.13), and studies utilising non-random sampling methods reported a higher prevalence of mild depression and lower moderate depression symptoms than those that used random sampling (overall: 34% vs. 29%; Q = 0.45, df = 1, p = 0.50; mild: 29% vs. 21%; Q = 1.69, df = 1, p = 0.19; moderate: 16% vs. 25%; Q = 1.79, df = 1, p = 0.18; severe: 8% vs. 9%; Q = 0.13, df = 1, p = 0.72) despite these differences was not statistically significant. The prevalence of depression symptoms was moderated by the measurements and the quality of primary studies. More than one-third of postgraduates reported depression symptoms, which indicates the susceptibility to mental health risk among postgraduates. School administrators, teachers, and students should take joint actions to prevent mental disorders of postgraduates from increasing in severity.

Psychology Doctoral Program Experiences and Student Well-Being, Mental Health, and Optimism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a sample of 916 doctoral students from 144 universities across the United States, we examined psychology graduate students’ experiences in their programs, as well as their mental health, well-being, and optimism during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a path model, we found that students’ psychological experiences in their programs (i.e., social belonging, threat, and challenge) were associated with better mental health and well-being, which in turn was associated with greater optimism about the future during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings were also corroborated in students’ open-ended responses regarding how COVID-19 has impacted their lives. Findings varied by racial, gender, and sexual identities, as racial minorities, LGBTQ+ students, and women expressed more negative psychological experiences in their programs. We outline suggestions for graduate programs to support their graduate students, which include facilitating social connection, providing encouragement, and emphasizing students’ well-being over their productivity as the current pandemic persists.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among Ph.D. students

University administrators and mental health clinicians have raised concerns about depression and anxiety among Ph.D. students, yet no study has systematically synthesized the available evidence in this area. After searching the literature for studies reporting on depression, anxiety, and/or suicidal ideation among Ph.D. students, we included 32 articles. Among 16 studies reporting the prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of depression across 23,469 Ph.D. students, the pooled estimate of the proportion of students with depression was 0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18-0.31; I2 = 98.75%). In a meta-analysis of the nine studies reporting the prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety across 15,626 students, the estimated proportion of students with anxiety was 0.17 (95% CI, 0.12-0.23; I2 = 98.05%). We conclude that depression and anxiety are highly prevalent among Ph.D. students. Data limitations precluded our ability to obtain a pooled estimate of suicidal ideation prevalence. Programs that systematically monitor and promote the mental health of Ph.D. students are urgently needed.

The Dark Side of Development: A Systems Characterization of the Negative Mentoring Experiences of Doctoral Students

Effective mentoring promotes the development and success of graduate students. Yet mentoring, like other relationships, can have negative elements. Little knowledge exists about the problematic mentoring that graduate students experience despite its potentially detrimental impacts. To begin to address this gap, we conducted an exploratory interview study to define and characterize negative mentoring experiences of 40 life science doctoral students. Students attributed their negative mentoring experiences to interacting factors at multiple levels-from interpersonal differences and poor relationship quality to issues at the research group, departmental, organizational, and discipline levels-all of which they perceived as harmful to their development. We found that doctoral students experienced forms of negative mentoring similar to those reported in workplace and undergraduate research settings, but they also experienced negative mentoring that was unique to academic research and their stage of development. Our results are useful to mentors for reflecting on ways their behaviors might be perceived, to mentees for avoiding situations that might be conducive to negative mentoring, and to programs and institutions for improving structures and processes to prevent negative mentoring. Our findings also serve as a foundation for future research on the prevalence and impacts of negative mentoring experiences in graduate education.