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BioMed Central, BMC Public Health, 1(14), 2014

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-256

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Psychological distress in French college students: demographic, economic and social stressors. Results from the 2010 National Health Barometer

Journal article published in 2014 by Thomas Saïas, Enguerrand du Roscoät, Laurentine Véron, Romain Guignard, Jean-Baptiste Richard, Stéphane Legleye ORCID, Fanny Sauvade, Viviane Kovess, François Beck
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Background Psychological distress (PD) in students is under-investigated, since its prevalence can be high in certain subgroups of students and it has been seen to be associated with other mental health issues and academic achievement. In a sample of French college students, this study investigated factors associated with PD, and looked more closely at the impact of social and interpersonal variables. Methods Data were extracted from the 2010 French “National Health Barometer”. 946 students were interviewed. Mental health was assessed using the MH-5 five-item scale. Results The PD rate in this sample was 13.8% (7.2% in males, 19.5% in females). Low income, nonsexual assault in the last 12 months, studying law and low social participation were associated with PD in multivariate analyses. Conclusions French students show specific characteristics that are discussed in order to explain the relatively low rate of PD observed. The impact of loneliness and social isolation are a major focus for preventive policies based on community resources and early detection of the symptoms of PD.