Mental health issues are associated with increased risky health behaviors among US college students
Abstract
Mental health conditions are pervasive among college students and tends to increase participation in risky health behavior tracking into later life. The researchers assessed the association between mental health conditions and risky health behaviors among college students. Data from the 2019 Georgia College National Collegiate Health Assessment Survey was used to examine diagnosed anxiety, depression, self-reported stress levels and suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Risky health behaviors included binge drinking, unprotected sex, use of marijuana, tobacco, e-cigarettes and illicit drugs. Sex-adjusted logistic regression was used to quantified associations. Analyses included 1101 participants (225 men; 876 women) with mean age 20.88 ±4.38 years. Prevalence of depression was 25.8%; suicidal ideation 13.5%; anxiety 28.8% and high stress levels 60.9%. Except for suicidal ideation, females had a higher burden of mental health conditions than their male counterparts (p
Mental health issues are associated with increased risky health behaviors among US college students
Mental health conditions are pervasive among college students and tends to increase participation in risky health behavior tracking into later life. The researchers assessed the association between mental health conditions and risky health behaviors among college students. Data from the 2019 Georgia College National Collegiate Health Assessment Survey was used to examine diagnosed anxiety, depression, self-reported stress levels and suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Risky health behaviors included binge drinking, unprotected sex, use of marijuana, tobacco, e-cigarettes and illicit drugs. Sex-adjusted logistic regression was used to quantified associations. Analyses included 1101 participants (225 men; 876 women) with mean age 20.88 ±4.38 years. Prevalence of depression was 25.8%; suicidal ideation 13.5%; anxiety 28.8% and high stress levels 60.9%. Except for suicidal ideation, females had a higher burden of mental health conditions than their male counterparts (p