Abstract
Objective
This study evaluated variation in substance use and mental health among graduate student subgroups.
Participants
A sample of 2,683 master’s and doctoral students completed an online survey in October 2017.
Methods
Subgroup variation in behavioral health by demographic and program characteristics, particularly degree type and academic discipline, was explored.
Results
Compared with academic doctoral students (ie, PhD students), professional doctoral students (ie, MD, JD, etc.) were significantly more likely to report high stress levels and moderate or severe anxiety symptoms. Master’s students were more likely to report moderate or severe anxiety symptoms and use marijuana than academic doctoral students. Students in the behavioral and social sciences, social work, and arts and humanities disciplines were more likely to use substances and report mental health problems than engineering and business students.
Conclusions
These findings highlight graduate student subgroups who might require closer attention with respect to access to behavioral health services.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Brittany Bugbee and Angie Barrall for their assistance with developing the data collection instrument.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the University of Maryland College Park and the University of Maryland Baltimore Institutional Review Boards.