ArticleThe British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science2024
Trends in incidence of self-harm, neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions among university students compared with the general population: nationwide electronic data linkage study in Wales.
Article in The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mapping support systems: a cross-sectional examination of personal support networks, perceived support, mental health outcomes, and help-seeking behaviours among UK undergraduate students.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Editorial: Mental health, epidemiology and machine learning.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundConcern that self-harm and mental health conditions are increasing in university students may reflect widening access to higher education, existing population trends and/or stressors associated with this setting.
aimsTo compare population-level data on self-harm, neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions between university students and non-students with similar characteristics before and during enrolment.
methodThis cohort study linked electronic records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency for 2012-2018 to primary and secondary healthcare records. Students were undergraduates aged 18 to 24 years at university entry. Non-students were pseudo-randomly selected based on an equivalent age distribution. Logistic regressions were used to calculate odds ratios. Poisson regressions were used to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRR).
resultsThe study included 96 760 students and 151 795 non-students. Being male, self-harm and mental health conditions recorded before university entry, and higher deprivation levels, resulted in lower odds of becoming a student and higher odds of drop-out from university. IRRs for self-harm, depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), drug use and schizophrenia were lower for students. IRRs for self-harm, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, ASD, alcohol use and schizophrenia increased more in students than in non-students over time. Older students experienced greater risk of self-harm and mental health conditions, whereas younger students were more at risk of alcohol use than non-student counterparts.
conclusionsMental health conditions in students are common and diverse. While at university, students require person-centred stepped care, integrated with local third-sector and healthcare services to address specific conditions.
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