ArticlePloS one2022
Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and associations of lifetime, 12-month, and 30-day suicidal thoughts and behaviours among 3,702 First-Year university students in New Zealand.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Article
- Psychosocial risk for substance use in 80,000 Mexican undergraduates: mental health and academic strain.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Psychosocial Distress Patterns and Their Associations With Deliberate Self-Harm and Suicidality: A Latent Profile Analysis Among Chinese University Students.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Mind the (Social and Emotional Competence) Gap to Support Higher Education Students' Well-Being: Psychometric Properties of the SECAB-A(S).European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Psychotherapeutic Training Intentions Among Psychology Students in Italy: The Role of Empathy, Personality Traits, and Psychopathology.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2025Article
- The impact of 24-h movement behaviors on college students' physical fitness and its isotemporal substitution benefits: a compositional data analysis approach.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Stress, Burnout and Study-Related Behavior in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Analysis Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Internet Addiction and Depressive Symptoms in University Students: Latent Profiles, Network Structure, and Symptomatic Pathways to Suicide Risk.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
- The differing relationships between academic discipline, sleep hygiene, and dysfunctional sleep attitudes on sleep quality and duration in Canadian university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundElevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. MATERIALS AND
methodsThe study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders.
resultsStudents from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help.
conclusionsDetecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.
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