Abstract
IntroductionA mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. This study sought to determine the prevalence and social determinants of depressive symptoms among university students in twelve countries. Particular focus was placed on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among students at their first year at university in Europe, Asia, the Western Pacific, and Latin and North America. Data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and social capital. The simplified Beck’s Depression Inventory was used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Social capital was assessed using items drawn from the World Bank Integrated Questionnaire to Measure Social Capital. Multilevel analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between social capital and depressive symptoms, adjusting for individual covariates (e.g., perceived stress) and country-level characteristics (e.g., economic development).ResultsAmong 4228 students, 48% presented clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Lower levels of cognitive (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.44–2.29) and behavioral social capital (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.29–1.76) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The likelihood of having depressive symptoms was also significantly higher among those living in regions with lower levels of social capital.ConclusionThe study demonstrates that lower levels of individual and macro-level social capital contribute to clinically relevant depressive symptoms among university students. Increasing social capital may mitigate depressive symptoms in college students.
Highlights
A mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world
When accounting for country-level characteristics, the analyses showed that students living in lower to upper-middleincome economies (e.g., Albania, Brazil, Kosovo, Malaysia) had higher odds (OR: 3.47, 95%CI: 1.43–8.42) of reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms (Table 3, Model 3)
This study investigated the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the importance of social capital on depressive symptoms in university students from twelve countries
Summary
A mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. This study sought to determine the prevalence and social determinants of depressive symptoms among university students in twelve countries. A recent study showed that the occurrence of poor mental health among college students can be as high as 51% in some countries (Auerbach et al, 2018). Mental health issues during the college years have been associated with an increased risk of substance abuse, substantial impairment of quality of life and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Pedrelli et al, 2016; Mortier et al, 2018). For many students, it correlates with poor academic performance and dropping-out, which can deleteriously affect social mobility (Bruffaerts et al, 2018). The evidence about the association between social capital and health outcomes among college students remains limited (Morgan and Haglund, 2009; Borges et al, 2010)
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