Aug 2026· BMC Psychology· Vol 14· 0 citations· 61 references
Medicine
Abstract
Personal values may be important for university students’ mental health. However, most studies focus on single indicators such as anxiety, depression, or well-being, with limited attention to overall mental health profiles. How different value dimensions relate to mental health heterogeneity from a dual-factor perspective remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study, latent profile analysis and multinomial logistic regression were used to identify mental health profiles and examine their associations with personal values. A total of 14,929 Chinese university students completed self-report measures of personal values, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, and psychological resilience. Three mental health profiles were identified: complete mental health, vulnerable, and troubled. The symptomatic but content profile was not found. Multinomial logistic regression showed that self-transcendence was linked to more favorable profiles, whereas self-enhancement was linked to less favorable profiles. Openness to change showed a conditional pattern: it was generally linked to lower likelihood of vulnerable or troubled membership, but among vulnerable and troubled students, higher openness to change was linked to higher likelihood of troubled membership. Conservation showed a weaker role and mainly distinguished the complete mental health and vulnerable profiles. This study provides a person-centered view of mental health heterogeneity among Chinese university students. The findings suggest that personal values are differentially associated with overall mental health profiles and support integrating symptom screening, value guidance, and positive psychological resource development in university mental health education.
Background: Demographic factors often influence the rise in mental health issues among college students globally. Understanding these factors is essential for designing early, targeted interventions and strengthening mental health services in academic settings. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the influence of age, gender, faculty, family income, physical health problems, and psychological trauma on the mental health of college students. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with a total of 557 Indonesian university students as participants. Data were collected using a questionnaire and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Data were analyzed using Spearman’s Rho, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, followed by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Statistical analyses revealed significant associations between mental health status and variables including age, gender, family income, physical health problems, and psychological trauma (p < 0.05), while the faculty variable showed no significant correlation. Psychological trauma emerged as the strongest independent predictor, with students who had experienced psychological trauma being more than nine times more likely to experience mental health problems. Conclusion: Trauma-informed and demographically sensitive mental health support is crucial, especially for students who are identified as vulnerable. These insights may inform mental health nursing assessments and targeted interventions in academic settings.
Estin Yuliastuti, Nurul Istiqomah, Yuli Widyastuti et al.· The Malaysian Journal of Nur...· 0 citations
Background Depression is highly prevalent among medical trainees and negatively affects academic performance, empathy, and patient care. While healthy lifestyle behaviors are known to support mental health, the contribution of cognitive-emotional orientations, such as Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), remains underexplored. This study examined the associations between health behaviors, PMA, and depressive symptoms among medical students and residents in Ecuador. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2025 among 700 medical students and postgraduate residents at a private university. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI). Logistic regression models estimated associations between total HBI scores, its four subscales, and screening positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), adjusting for sociodemographic and academic variables. Results Nearly half of participants screened positive on the PHQ-9 (score ≥10) (47.7%). Higher total HBI scores were associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (AOR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.93–0.95). When HBI subscales were analyzed simultaneously, only PMA remained independently associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74–0.84). Female gender, younger age, and the presence of comorbidities were also associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms. Conclusions PMA emerged as the behavioral domain most strongly associated with lower odds of clinically significant depressive symptoms in medical trainees, after adjustment for other lifestyle domains. These findings underscore the relevance of cognitive-emotional orientations in behavioral medicine and support the inclusion of positive psychology approaches in medical education to promote well-being.
Xavier Sánchez, Pablo Carrera, María Daniela Cortez et al.· PLoS ONE· 0 citations
Introduction: Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide, placing an increasing burden on public health systems. However, certain transdiagnostic factors may modulate vulnerability to these disorders: personality traits, emotional regulation, and social support. Objective: To examined these factors, classifying them as either risk or protective through correlation analyses and qualitative comparative analyses in a clinical sample. Methods: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample consisted of 61 participants (73.8% female, 24.6% male, 1.6% other genders) aged between 20 and 66 years (M = 43.79; SD = 12.75). Results: Neuroticism was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, whereas extraversion predicted better mental health. Additionally, emotion dysregulation correlated positively with both psychopathologies. Finally, perceived social support emerged as a sufficient condition for lower anxiety levels; conversely, its absence was linked to higher levels of both anxiety and depression. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of further investigating risk and protective factors related to highly prevalent mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Better understanding these factors can help improve assessment, diagnosis, and treatment within clinical practice.
Selene Valero-Moreno, Olga Ribera-Asensi, Saray Giménez-Benavent et al.· Universitas Médica· 0 citations
BACKGROUND
Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a prevalent behavioral concern among adolescents and is closely linked to a range of adverse mental health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the heterogeneous structure of PSMU in Chinese adolescents using latent profile analysis (LPA), and to investigate differences in demographic characteristics, peer victimization, and psychological and sleep outcomes across latent profiles.
METHODS
A total of 51,219 middle and high school students participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants completed self-report questionnaires including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS). LPA was conducted to identify distinct PSMU subgroups. Chi-square tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to examine group differences.
RESULTS
A three-profile solution was selected as optimal based on model fit indices (AIC, BIC, SABIC), entropy, and bootstrapped likelihood ratio test (BLRT). The three profiles represented a gradient of PSMU severity: low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk (accounting for 10.50% of the sample). Depression, anxiety, peer victimization, and sleep disturbance all increased monotonically with rising PSMU risk, demonstrating a robust dose-response relationship. All between-profile differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Adolescent PSMU exhibits a continuous three-level risk spectrum rather than discrete categorical subtypes. Mental health burden increases consistently with the severity of PSMU. These findings support the continuous model of problematic online behaviors and provide empirical support for stratified screening and targeted intervention strategies for adolescent PSMU.
Jingyuan Mai, Huan Gao, R. He et al.· Journal of Affective Disorde...· 0 citations
Introduction: Student mental health remains a major concern in higher education, particularly among final-year students who face increasing academic and personal pressures. This study aimed to examine the role of stress as a mediator between personal and family factors and mental health among public health students in Makassar.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 279 final-year students. Data were analyzed using path analysis to evaluate direct and indirect relationships among variables.
Results: The findings indicate that personal factors significantly increased stress across all educational levels, while family factors were significant primarily among undergraduate students. Stress demonstrated a consistent and increasingly strong negative effect on mental health from undergraduate to doctoral levels (? = -0.532 to -0.709). Personal factors influenced mental health mainly through stress mediation, whereas the role of family support diminished at higher academic levels. These results highlight a developmental shift in mental health determinants from external support toward internal coping demands as academic level increases.
Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of level-specific mental health strategies focusing on family support for undergraduates and stress management interventions for postgraduate students.
Shanti Riskiyani, Ani Asram, Rizky Chaeraty Syam et al.· Media Publikasi Promosi Kese...· 0 citations
Health behaviors (HB) are critical for university students, as they are closely associated with academic and overall well-being. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore health behaviors in a sample of university students, identify patterns of HB, and examine the association between these patterns and mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 1085 university students enrolled at a private higher-education institution. Participants were predominantly female (83.4%), with a mean age of 22.74 years (SD = 7.03). Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was employed to identify distinct classes of HB. Three classes were identified: Class 1, labelled as the Unhealthy habits - high-stress profile (15.7%); Class 2, labelled as the Healthy/Low-risk group (68%); and Class 3, labelled as the Unhealthy habits - substance-use profile (16.3%). Significant differences in mental health outcomes were observed, with the Unhealthy habits - high stress profile displaying significantly worse mental health compared to the Healthy/Unhealthy habits - substance use profile. These findings reinforce the idea that HB do not operate in isolation but are interdependent components of a broader lifestyle pattern. The findings may inform the development of targeted interventions to promote healthier lifestyle patterns and support mental health among university students, particularly for the Unhealthy habits - high stress profile in the student population.
Tânia Brandão, M. J. Gouveia, David Dias Neto et al.· Psychological Reports· 0 citations
