A Longitudinal Study of Financial Difficulties and Mental Health in a National Sample of British Undergraduate Students

Thomas Richardson,Peter Elliott,Megan Jansen,Ron Roberts

doi:10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0

Thomas Richardson, Peter Elliott + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0

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Abstract

Previous research has shown a relationship between financial difficulties and poor mental health in students, but most research is cross-sectional. To examine longitudinal relationships over time between financial variables and mental health in students. A national sample of 454 first year British undergraduate students completed measures of mental health and financial variables at up to four time points across a year. Cross-sectional relationships were found between poorer mental health and female gender, having a disability and non-white ethnicity. Greater financial difficulties predicted greater depression and stress cross-sectionally, and also predicted poorer anxiety, global mental health and alcohol dependence over time. Depression worsened over time for those who had considered abandoning studies or not coming to university for financial reasons, and there were effects for how students viewed their student loan. Anxiety and alcohol dependence also predicted worsening financial situation suggesting a bi-directional relationship. Financial difficulties appear to lead to poor mental health in students with the possibility of a vicious cycle occurring.

Highlights

University represents a high risk time for mental health problems, with the start of university coinciding with the mean age of onset for many psychiatric disorders (Reavley et al 2012)
A United States (US) nationwide survey reported that almost half of all university-aged students have a psychiatric disorder which has functionally impaired them during the last academic year; similar rates were reported for similar aged peers who did not attend university (Blanco et al 2008)
The final linear regression models examining the impact on financial variables at baseline on follow-up mental health are shown in Tables 1 and 2

Summary

Introduction

University represents a high risk time for mental health problems, with the start of university coinciding with the mean age of onset for many psychiatric disorders (Reavley et al 2012). In Turkey, Bayram and Bilgel (2008) found moderately severe depression in 27 % of students and moderately severe anxiety in 47 %. Research suggests that mental health may worsen over the course of university: Andrews and Wilding (2004) found that 9 % of United Kingdom (UK) students without a history of mental health problems at the start of university went on to develop clinical depression halfway through their degree. They found that 20 % became clinically anxious over this time period

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