Data from: Health assessment of French university students and risk factors associated with mental health disorders

Objective: The first year of university is a particularly stressful period and can impact academic performance and students’ health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health and lifestyle of undergraduates and assess risk factors associated with psychiatric symptoms.
Materials and methods: Between September 2012 and June 2013, we included all undergraduate students who underwent compulsory a medical visit at the university medical service in Nice (France) during which they were screened for potential diseases during a diagnostic interview. Data were collected prospectively in the CALCIUM database (Consultations Assistés par Logiciel pour les Centres Inter-Universitaire de Médecine) and included information about the students’ lifestyle (living conditions, dietary behavior, physical activity, use of recreational drugs). The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms related to depression, anxiety and panic attacks was assessed and risk factors for these symptoms were analyzed using logistic regression.
Results: A total of 4,184 undergraduates were included. Prevalence for depression, anxiety and panic attacks were 12.6%, 7.6% and 1.0%, respectively. During the 30 days preceding the evaluation, 0.6% of the students regularly drank alcohol, 6.3% were frequent-to-heavy tobacco smokers, and 10.0% smoked marijuana. Dealing with financial difficulties and having learning disabilities were associated with psychiatric symptoms. Students who were dissatisfied with their living conditions and those with poor dietary behavior were at risk of depression. Being a woman and living alone were associated with anxiety. Students who screened positively for any psychiatric disorder assessed were at a higher risk of having another psychiatric disorder concomitantly.
Conclusion: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in undergraduate students is low but the rate of students at risk of developing chronic disease is far from being negligible. Understanding predictors for these symptoms may improve students’ health by implementing targeted prevention campaigns. Further research in other French universities is necessary to confirm our results.

研究目标：大学一年级是压力尤为突出的阶段，可对学生的学业表现与健康状况产生负面影响。本研究旨在评估本科生的健康与生活方式，并分析与精神症状相关的风险因素。
材料与方法：2012年9月至2013年6月期间，本研究纳入所有在法国尼斯大学医疗服务中心接受强制医疗就诊的本科生，就诊期间通过诊断性访谈对其潜在疾病进行筛查。研究数据通过CALCIUM数据库（Consultations Assistés par Logiciel pour les Centres Inter-Universitaire de Médecine，即大学医疗中心软件辅助问诊系统）前瞻性收集，内容涵盖学生的生活方式信息（居住状况、饮食行为、体育活动、消遣性药物使用情况）。本研究对抑郁、焦虑及惊恐发作相关精神症状的患病率进行评估，并通过逻辑回归分析此类精神症状的风险因素。
结果：本研究共纳入4184名本科生。抑郁、焦虑及惊恐发作的患病率分别为12.6%、7.6%与1.0%。在评估前30天内，0.6%的学生规律饮酒，6.3%为频繁至重度烟草吸烟者，10.0%吸食大麻。经济困难与学习障碍与精神症状存在相关性。对居住状况不满以及饮食行为不佳的学生，出现抑郁症状的风险更高。女性身份与独居状况与焦虑症状相关。经筛查呈阳性的任意精神障碍学生，并发其他精神障碍的风险更高。
结论：本科生群体中精神障碍的患病率较低，但存在慢性病发病风险的学生比例不容忽视。明确此类精神症状的预测因素，可通过开展针对性预防干预提升学生的健康水平。未来需在法国其他高校开展进一步研究，以验证本研究结果。