Abstract
BackgroundDepressive disorders in University students have risen dramatically in the past few decades to the extent that students’ mental health has become a current global public health priority. Obtaining information from University students about their mental health is challenging because of potential embarrassment of disclosing one’s concerns and fear of stigmatization. Self-rated health might be a good solution to evaluate mental health state by a simple and neutral indicator. The aim of the study is to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and self-rated health by sex among University students in France and Japan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted by using two large cohorts of students aged ≥18 years (n = 5655 in Bordeaux, France and n = 17,148 in Kyoto, Japan). Depressive symptoms (PHQ-2 scale), Likert scale of self-rated health, socio-demographic characteristics and health habits were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to describe the association between depressive symptoms and other variables including self-rated health, stratified by sex.ResultsA high score of PHQ-2 (high depressive symptoms) was associated with poor self-rated health in both cohorts independently of all other variables (OR 2.82, 95%CI 1.99–4.01 in France, OR 7.10, 95%CI 5.76–8.74 in Japan). Although the prevalence of depressive symptoms between sexes was different in French students (males 15.4%, females 25.0%, p < 0.001), it was similar in Japanese students (males 3.5%, females 3.3%, p = 0.466), who reported less depressive symptoms than French students. The association between depressive symptoms and poor self-rated health was greater in Japanese females (OR 12.40, 95%CI 7.74–20.00) than in males (OR 6.30, 95%CI 4.99–7.95), whereas the strength of the association was almost similar in French students (OR 2.17, 95%CI 0.86–5.47 in males, OR 2.98, 95%CI 2.03–4.38 in females).ConclusionsDepressive symptoms were associated with self-rated health among University students in both countries with slightly differences in sex. Self-rated health would be a simple, reliable and universal indicator for healthcare professionals and University staff to identify students at risk of depression.
Highlights
Depressive disorders in University students have risen dramatically in the past few decades to the extent that students’ mental health has become a current global public health priority
Depressive symptoms were associated with self-rated health among University students in both countries with slightly differences in sex
Poor self-rated health was reported by 2.8% of French students (2.3% for males and 2.9% for females), and by 4.5% of Japanese students (5.0% for males and 2.9% for females)
Summary
Depressive disorders in University students have risen dramatically in the past few decades to the extent that students’ mental health has become a current global public health priority. Differences (~ 10%) in the prevalence of depressive symptoms were observed across participating countries, but overall findings indicated that they were widely diffused among students worldwide It has become increasingly important for Universities to collect these data in order to investigate what mental health problems affect students, determine which preventive interventions should be implemented, and offer appropriate care. Data on students’ health and wellbeing are still sparsely available and not systematically collected, and comparative studies investigating specific associations of mental health problems are rare especially between Europe and Asia [14] Both France and Japan are high-income countries, but they have very different cultures and environmental conditions concerning University students, such as university curriculum, legal drinking age, proportion of smoking students, and living environment (living with partner/family members/alone). Similar frequency of distress among students of these two countries might reinforce the idea that students’ mental health deserves global attention, independently from the nation and the culture
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