Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32381150›Full record

ArticleBJPsych open2020

Predictors of mental health and academic outcomes in first-year university students: Identifying prevention and early-intervention targets.

A Duffy, C Keown-Stoneman, S Goodday, J Horrocks, M Lowe, N King, W Pickett, S H McNevin, S Cunningham, D Rivera and 4 more

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BJPsych open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 99 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
99citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
6.9field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

99 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 198 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. [Bidirectional longitudinal associations of perceived stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms among medical students: A threeZhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026
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39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

A DuffyDepartment of Psychiatry, Division of Student Mental Health, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada; and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5895-075X
C Keown-StonemanDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8790-1589
S GooddayDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.
J HorrocksDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Guelph, Canada.
M LoweDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Guelph, Canada.
N KingDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Canada.
W PickettDepartment of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Canada.
S H McNevinDepartment of Psychiatry, Division of Student Mental Health, Queen's University, Canada.
S CunninghamDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada.
D RiveraDepartment of Psychiatry, Division of Student Mental Health, Queen's University, Canada.
L BisdounisDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.
C R BowieDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada.
K HarknessDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada.
K E A SaundersDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK.
Queen's University · CAUniversity of Oxford · GBUniversity of Guelph · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough there is growing interest in mental health problems in university students there is limited understanding of the scope of need and determinants to inform intervention efforts.

aimsTo longitudinally examine the extent and persistence of mental health symptoms and the importance of psychosocial and lifestyle factors for student mental health and academic outcomes.

methodUndergraduates at a Canadian university were invited to complete electronic surveys at entry and completion of their first year. The baseline survey measured important distal and proximal risk factors and the follow-up assessed mental health and well-being. Surveys were linked to academic grades. Multivariable models of risk factors and mental health and academic outcomes were fit and adjusted for confounders.

resultsIn 1530 students surveyed at entry to university 28% and 33% screened positive for clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively, which increased to 36% and 39% at the completion of first year. Over the academic year, 14% of students reported suicidal thoughts and 1.6% suicide attempts. Moreover, there was persistence and overlap in these mental health outcomes. Modifiable psychosocial and lifestyle factors at entry were associated with positive screens for mental health outcomes at completion of first year, while anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with lower grades and university well-being.

conclusionsClinically significant mental health symptoms are common and persistent among first-year university students and have a negative impact on academic performance and well-being. A comprehensive mental health strategy that includes a whole university approach to prevention and targeted early-intervention measures and associated research is justified.

Indexed as

anxiety symptomsdepressive symptomsprevention and early-interventionrisk factorsStudent mental health

Identifiers

PMID32381150
PMCPMC7331085
OpenAlexW3022448439

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.