ArticleDepression and anxiety2018
Severe role impairment associated with mental disorders: Results of the WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project.
Article in Depression and anxiety, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 88 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
88 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Instruments used to measure well-being, ill-being, and health-related lifestyle behaviors in students attending Italian universities: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Overcoming mental health challenges in higher education: a narrative review.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Online programs to strengthen the mental health of medical students: A systematic review of the literature.Medical education online · 2022Pooled it
- Mental Health of University Students in Southeastern Asia: A Systematic Review.Asia-Pacific journal of public health · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms Among University Students in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Web-Based, Human-Guided, or Computer-Guided Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in University Students With Anxiety and Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2024Trial
- Challenges in Recruiting University Students for Web-Based Indicated Prevention of Depression and Anxiety: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial (ICare Prevent).Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Article
- Role impairment of patients with mental disorders and physical diseases in China: Results from the China Mental Health Survey.Chinese medical journal · 2026Article
- Sociodemographic, academic, and health-related factors associated with antidepressant use among university and higher education students: a scoping review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Review
- Symptom network for psychological distress in college freshmen: a large sample bayesian network analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Mental disorders & self-injurious thoughts and behaviors predict high risk of role impairment among university students - results from the world mental health international college student initiative.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Associations of perfectionism dimensions with perceived stress and anxiety symptoms among Chinese undergraduates in sport-related majors: a multi-site cross-sectional study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Mindful of yourself: the initial evaluation of an online health promotion programme for university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Health Mode On and Health Mode On Plus: a multisite protocol to assess and promote mental wellbeing and healthy lifestyles among Italian university students.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The "GPA race" as a public health issue: proactive resilience building in universities.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Beyond the more-is-better assumption: latent profiles of visual arts engagement, emotion regulation, and mental health among Chinese non-art-major university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Factors related to well-being and psychological health in nursing students: A cross-sectional survey.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2025Article
- Emotional intelligence as a predictor of mental health in undergraduate students.BMC psychology · 2025Article
28 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCollege entrance is a stressful period with a high prevalence of mental disorders.
aimsTo assess the role impairment associated with 12-month mental disorders among incoming first-year college students within a large cross-national sample.
methodsWeb-based self-report surveys assessing the prevalence of DSM-IV mental disorders and health-related role impairment (Sheehan Disability Scale) were obtained and analyzed from 13,984 incoming first-year college students (Response = 45.5%), across 19 universities in eight countries. Impairment was assessed in the following domains: home management, work (e.g., college-related problems), close personal relationships, and social life.
resultsMean age of the sample was 19.3 (SD = 0.59) and 54.4% were female. Findings showed that 20.4% of students reported any severe role impairment (10% of those without a mental disorder vs. 42.9% of those with at least one disorder, P < 0.01). In bivariate analyses, panic disorder, and mania were associated most frequently with severe impairment (60.6% and 57.5%, respectively). Students reporting three or more mental disorders had almost fivefold more frequently severe impairment relative to those without mental disorders. Multiple logistic regression showed that major depression (OR = 4.0; 95%CI = 3.3, 4.8), generalized anxiety (OR = 3.9; 95%CI = 3.1, 4.8), and panic disorder (OR = 2.9; 95%CI 2.4, 4.2) were associated with the highest odds of severe impairment. Only minimal deviations from these overall associations were found across countries.
conclusionMental disorders among first-year college students are associated with substantial role impairment. Providing preventative interventions targeting mental disorders and associated impairments is a critical need for institutions to address.
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