Prevalence of mental health problems in Australian university health services

Abstract

General practice patients report greater mental health problems than the general population, and students attending one university health service have reported greater prevalence rates at the end of the academic year. This study assessed the overall prevalence rate of mental health problems in university students using a cross-sectional survey design of 1,168 students from three large, predominantly urban, Australian university health services. Approximately half of the students attending university health services reported elevated levels of psychological distress. The majority of severely distressed students had not sought any professional assistance for mental health problems. While there is scope for general practitioners to take a lead role in the identification of mental health problems in tertiary students, adequate treatment pathways need to be available. Implications for the role of universities in prevention work are discussed.

Key words:

• Academic learning and achievement
• clinical/counselling psychology
• mental health
• primary care
• stress
• university students

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Griffith University Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Writing Bursary, and to Amy Neighbour, Priya Alexander and Rhianon Courtice for data entry.