Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

Margaret McLafferty; Natasha Brown; John Brady; Jonathon McLaughlin; Rachel McHugh; Caoimhe Ward; Louise McBride; Anthony J. Bjourson; Siobhan M. O’Neill; Colum P. Walsh; Elaine K. Murray; Supat Chupradit

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279618

Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

Margaret McLafferty, Natasha Brown, John Brady, Jonathon McLaughlin, Rachel McHugh, Caoimhe Ward, Louise McBride, Anthony J. Bjourson, Siobhan M. O’Neill, Colum P. Walsh, Elaine K. Murray, Supat Chupradit (Editor)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

110 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. Materials and methods: The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders. Results: Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help. Conclusions: Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.

Original language	English
Article number	e0279618
Pages (from-to)	1-17
Number of pages	17
Journal	PLoS ONE
Volume	17
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279618
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 30 Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding information:
This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, School of Psychology staff and students, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology staff for assistance with the recruitment of students. Special thanks to the Students Union, Student Wellbeing and Student Administration Services at Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for their assistance in this study. We would also like to thank Dr. Randy Auerbach and his team at Harvard University for their assistance in data management and analysis. Finally, we would like to thank the undergraduate students of Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for taking part in the study.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Copyright: © 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding

Funding information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding Information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, School of Psychology staff and students, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology staff for assistance with the recruitment of students. Special thanks to the Students Union, Student Wellbeing and Student Administration Services at Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for their assistance in this study. We would also like to thank Dr. Randy Auerbach and his team at Harvard University for their assistance in data management and analysis. Finally, we would like to thank the undergraduate students of Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for taking part in the study. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright: © 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Keywords

Mental health and psychiatry
Suicide
Clinical psychology
Colleges
Behavior
Depression
ADHD
Mental health therapies
Help-Seeking Behavior
Humans
Male
Suicidal Ideation
Universities
Mental Disorders - epidemiology - therapy - psychology
Students - psychology
Mental Disorders/epidemiology
Students/psychology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1371/journal.pone.0279618

pone.0279618.pdfFinal published version, 528 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

McLafferty, M., Brown, N., Brady, J., McLaughlin, J., McHugh, R., Ward, C., McBride, L., Bjourson, A. J., O’Neill, S. M., Walsh, C. P., Murray, E. K., & Chupradit, S. (Ed.) (2022). Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines. PLoS ONE, 17(12), 1-17. Article e0279618. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279618

@article{16024cb429cd4ab2b8861dac64afeb5b,

title = "Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines",

abstract = "Background: Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. Materials and methods: The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders. Results: Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6\%; social anxiety 38.8\%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help. Conclusions: Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.",

keywords = "Mental health and psychiatry, Suicide, Clinical psychology, Colleges, Behavior, Depression, ADHD, Mental health therapies, Help-Seeking Behavior, Humans, Male, Suicidal Ideation, Universities, Mental Disorders - epidemiology - therapy - psychology, Students - psychology, Mental Disorders/epidemiology, Students/psychology",

author = "Margaret McLafferty and Natasha Brown and John Brady and Jonathon McLaughlin and Rachel McHugh and Caoimhe Ward and Louise McBride and Bjourson, \{Anthony J.\} and O{\textquoteright}Neill, \{Siobhan M.\} and Walsh, \{Colum P.\} and Murray, \{Elaine K.\} and Supat Chupradit",

note = "Funding information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union{\textquoteright}s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding Information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union{\textquoteright}s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, School of Psychology staff and students, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology staff for assistance with the recruitment of students. Special thanks to the Students Union, Student Wellbeing and Student Administration Services at Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for their assistance in this study. We would also like to thank Dr. Randy Auerbach and his team at Harvard University for their assistance in data management and analysis. Finally, we would like to thank the undergraduate students of Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for taking part in the study. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.",

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McLafferty, M, Brown, N, Brady, J, McLaughlin, J, McHugh, R, Ward, C, McBride, L, Bjourson, AJ, O’Neill, SM , Walsh, CP , Murray, EK & Chupradit, S (ed.) 2022, 'Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines', PLoS ONE, vol. 17, no. 12, e0279618, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279618

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T1 - Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

AU - McLafferty, Margaret

AU - Brown, Natasha

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AU - Bjourson, Anthony J.

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AU - Walsh, Colum P.

AU - Murray, Elaine K.

A2 - Chupradit, Supat

N1 - Funding information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding Information: This study was funded by the Clinical Health Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). CHITIN has received €10.6m (or million) funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) with match funding from the Departments of Health in NI and ROI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank the Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, School of Psychology staff and students, and Letterkenny Institute of Technology staff for assistance with the recruitment of students. Special thanks to the Students Union, Student Wellbeing and Student Administration Services at Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for their assistance in this study. We would also like to thank Dr. Randy Auerbach and his team at Harvard University for their assistance in data management and analysis. Finally, we would like to thank the undergraduate students of Ulster University and Letterkenny Institute of Technology for taking part in the study. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Copyright: © 2022 McLafferty et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

PY - 2022/12/30

Y1 - 2022/12/30

N2 - Background: Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. Materials and methods: The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders. Results: Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help. Conclusions: Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.

AB - Background: Elevated levels of suicidality, ADHD, mental ill-health and substance disorders are reported among college students globally, yet few receive treatment. Some faculties and courses appear to have more at-risk students than others. The current study aimed to determine if students commencing college in different academic disciplines were at a heightened risk for psychopathology, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour, and examined variations in help-seeking behaviour. Materials and methods: The study utilised data collected from 1,829 first-year undergraduate students as part of the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT) which commenced in September 2019 across four Ulster University campuses in Northern Ireland and an Institute of Technology, in the North-West of Ireland. The SPIT study is part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS) which uses the WMH-CIDI to identify 12-month and lifetime disorders. Results: Students from Life and Health Sciences reported the lowest rates of a range of psychological problems in the year prior to commencing college, while participants studying Arts and Humanities displayed the highest levels (e.g. depression 20.6%; social anxiety 38.8%). However, within faculty variations were found. For example, psychology students reported high rates, while nursing students reported low rates. Variations in help seeking behaviour were also revealed, with male students less likely to seek help. Conclusions: Detecting specific cohorts at risk of psychological disorders and suicidality is challenging. This study revealed that some academic disciplines have more vulnerable students than others, with many reluctant to seek help for their problems. It is important for educators to be aware of such issues and for colleges to provide information and support to students at risk. Tailored interventions and prevention strategies may be beneficial to address the needs of students from different disciplines.

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KW - Male

KW - Suicidal Ideation

KW - Universities

KW - Mental Disorders - epidemiology - therapy - psychology

KW - Students - psychology

KW - Mental Disorders/epidemiology

KW - Students/psychology

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Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Investigating demographic, psychosocial and epigenetic risk factors for depression in young adults

Cite this

Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Student theses

Investigating demographic, psychosocial and epigenetic risk factors for depression in young adults

Cite this