The long-term mental health of Australia’s tertiary students

Richard A. Burns; Dimity A. Crisp

doi:10.1007/s00127-019-01806-7

The long-term mental health of Australia’s tertiary students

Richard A. Burns, Dimity A. Crisp

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to quantify the extent to which Australia’s tertiary students have reported poorer mental health in comparison with the general community between 2001 and 2017. Methods: Data were derived from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a longitudinal household-based panel study. There were 29,124 participants who provided at least one observation over the study period. On average, participants provided 7.4 observations. Mental Health was assessed with the SF-36 mental health and vitality subscales. Results: There was little evidence for differences in mental health and vitality between those studying at tertiary levels and those not in tertiary education. Age-stratified analyses revealed that any differences were reported by older students. Interactions between education level and time revealed that the association between tertiary study and mental health outcomes has been consistent over time. Conclusion: There were very few differences between those in and those not in tertiary education. The magnitude of any differences was very small and does not necessarily reflect substantial poor mental health outcome. Overall, the most consistent finding was that there was little risk for poor mental health outcomes attributed to tertiary study.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1223-1230
Number of pages	8
Journal	Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Volume	55
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01806-7
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2020

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Cite this

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abstract = "Purpose: The objective of the current study was to quantify the extent to which Australia{\textquoteright}s tertiary students have reported poorer mental health in comparison with the general community between 2001 and 2017. Methods: Data were derived from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a longitudinal household-based panel study. There were 29,124 participants who provided at least one observation over the study period. On average, participants provided 7.4 observations. Mental Health was assessed with the SF-36 mental health and vitality subscales. Results: There was little evidence for differences in mental health and vitality between those studying at tertiary levels and those not in tertiary education. Age-stratified analyses revealed that any differences were reported by older students. Interactions between education level and time revealed that the association between tertiary study and mental health outcomes has been consistent over time. Conclusion: There were very few differences between those in and those not in tertiary education. The magnitude of any differences was very small and does not necessarily reflect substantial poor mental health outcome. Overall, the most consistent finding was that there was little risk for poor mental health outcomes attributed to tertiary study.",

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N2 - Purpose: The objective of the current study was to quantify the extent to which Australia’s tertiary students have reported poorer mental health in comparison with the general community between 2001 and 2017. Methods: Data were derived from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a longitudinal household-based panel study. There were 29,124 participants who provided at least one observation over the study period. On average, participants provided 7.4 observations. Mental Health was assessed with the SF-36 mental health and vitality subscales. Results: There was little evidence for differences in mental health and vitality between those studying at tertiary levels and those not in tertiary education. Age-stratified analyses revealed that any differences were reported by older students. Interactions between education level and time revealed that the association between tertiary study and mental health outcomes has been consistent over time. Conclusion: There were very few differences between those in and those not in tertiary education. The magnitude of any differences was very small and does not necessarily reflect substantial poor mental health outcome. Overall, the most consistent finding was that there was little risk for poor mental health outcomes attributed to tertiary study.

AB - Purpose: The objective of the current study was to quantify the extent to which Australia’s tertiary students have reported poorer mental health in comparison with the general community between 2001 and 2017. Methods: Data were derived from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a longitudinal household-based panel study. There were 29,124 participants who provided at least one observation over the study period. On average, participants provided 7.4 observations. Mental Health was assessed with the SF-36 mental health and vitality subscales. Results: There was little evidence for differences in mental health and vitality between those studying at tertiary levels and those not in tertiary education. Age-stratified analyses revealed that any differences were reported by older students. Interactions between education level and time revealed that the association between tertiary study and mental health outcomes has been consistent over time. Conclusion: There were very few differences between those in and those not in tertiary education. The magnitude of any differences was very small and does not necessarily reflect substantial poor mental health outcome. Overall, the most consistent finding was that there was little risk for poor mental health outcomes attributed to tertiary study.

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ER -

The long-term mental health of Australia’s tertiary students

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