College student mental health: Psychiatric risk and psychological wellbeing

To examine both psychiatric risk and psychological wellbeing in a college student sample drawn from a majority-minority university.

100 participants (42% White; 70 females), mean age, 21.22 years.

Univariate and multivariate analyses examined the relationship of psychiatric risk (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI) and psychological wellbeing (Mental Health Continuum-Short Form; MHC-SF) with student stress, cognition, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a new Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) scale.

Risk correlated with increased student stress, higher ACEs and lower PCEs, whereas wellbeing correlated with lower student stress, better neuropsychological functioning, lower ACE and increased PCEs. PCEs predicted enhanced MHC-SF wellbeing and reduced BSI risk, accounting for 22.4% and 13.7% of variance in these measures, respectively. ACEs predicted elevated BSI risk and diminished MHC-SF wellbeing accounting for 8.6% and 5.9% of variance in these measures, respectively.

College student mental health may benefit from practices aim specifically to enhance wellbeing, stress-resistance, and cognition.