Measuring Psychological Distress and Flourishing Among University Students: Initial Findings From One...

Area of Science:

• Higher Education
• Public Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Student well-being is crucial for academic success and requires comprehensive evaluation.
• Health disparities exist among diverse student populations, impacting mental health outcomes.
• A health-promoting campus model necessitates understanding and addressing these disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine baseline psychological distress and flourishing across diverse student groups.
• To identify health disparities in well-being indicators within a university setting.
• To assess the impact of semester timing on student mental health.

Main Methods:

• Online survey administered to 1,019 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
• Utilized the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) and Flourishing Measure-12 (FM).
• Collected demographic data to analyze group differences and health equity.

Main Results:

• 30% screened positive for psychological distress, 39% for anxiety, and 26% for depression.
• 58% of students were flourishing or ready to flourish, coexisting with distress.
• Significant disparities in distress and flourishing were found based on gender identity, race, sexual orientation, and disability status.

Conclusions:

• Psychological distress and flourishing are key indicators of student well-being.
• Semester timing significantly impacts student mental health, with improvements observed after finals.
• Systems-level, equity-focused interventions are essential to address health disparities on campuses.