Journal article
Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological distress among students at an Australian university
W Larcombe, S Finch, R Sore, CM Murray, S Kentish, RA Mulder, P Lee-Stecum, C Baik, O Tokatlidis, DA Williams
Studies in Higher Education | Published : 2016
Abstract
This research contributes to the empirical literature on university student mental well-being by investigating the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of severe levels of psychological distress. More than 5000 students at a metropolitan Australian university participated in an anonymous online survey in 2013 that included the short form of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Comparisons with published research show that our respondents' DASS results were substantially higher than those observed in studies with general community samples, but comparable to other studies targeting university students. Of the explanatory variables analysed, the student's field of study, ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support for this research provided by Professor Pip Nicholson, Professor Carolyn Evans, Professor Robert Saint, Professor Iven Mareels, Professor Ken Hinchcliff, Professor Mark Considine, Professor James Angus, Associate Professor Michelle Livett and Mr Dan Persaud. This research was funded by a Learning and Teaching Initiatives grant from the Office of the Provost and by contributions from participating faculties at The University of Melbourne.