Publication:
Psychological Distress, Family Support and Employment Status in First-Year University Students in Spain.

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Date

2019-04-02

Authors

Arias-de la Torre, Jorge
Fernandez-Villa, Tania
Molina, Antonio Jose
Amezcua-Prieto, Carmen
Mateos, Ramona
Cancela, Jose Maria
Delgado-Rodriguez, Miguel
Ortiz-Moncada, Rocio
Alguacil, Juan
Redondo, Susana

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MDPI AG
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Abstract

Mental disorders are consistently and closely related to psychological distress. At the start of the university period, the relationship between a student's psychological distress, family support, and employment status is not well-known. The aims of this study were: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress in first-year university students and to analyze its relationship with family support and the student's employment status. Data from 4166 first-year university students from nine universities across Spain were considered. The prevalence of psychological distress was obtained using the GHQ-12, a valid and reliable screening tool to detect poor mental health. To analyze the relationship between psychological distress, family support, and employment status, logistic regression models were fitted. Regarding the prevalence found, 46.9% of men and 54.2% of women had psychological distress. In both genders, psychological distress levels increased as family support decreased. Among women, psychological distress was associated with their employment status. The prevalence of psychological distress among first-year university students in Spain is high. In addition, family support, and employment status for women, could be factors to take into account when developing psychological distress prevention strategies at the beginning of the university period.

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MeSH Terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Employment
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Prevalence
Social Support
Spain
Stress, Psychological
Students
Universities

DeCS Terms

Adulto
Apoyo social
Empleo
España
Estrés psicológico
Estudiantes
Estudios transversales
Femenino
Humanos
Masculino
Prevalencia
Salud mental
Universidades

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Keywords

employment status, family support, psychological distress, social epidemiology, survey study, university

Citation

Arias-de la Torre J, Fernández-Villa T, Molina AJ, Amezcua-Prieto C, Mateos R, Cancela JM, et al. Psychological Distress, Family Support and Employment Status in First-Year University Students in Spain. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 4;16(7):1209.