Mental Health, Loneliness, and Social Support Among Undergraduate Students: A Multinational Study in Asia

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of poor mental health and its association with loneliness and social support among 3531 undergraduate students in nine Asian countries. Mental health was assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire, which was developed by the World Health Organization. Across the entire sample, we detected that nearly half of the students reported poor mental health according to the Self-Reporting Questionnaire and that nearly one out of seven students felt lonely. While feeling lonely increased the odds of experiencing poor mental health (odds ratio [OR]: 3.37, 95% CI [2.22, 5.12]), moderate (OR: 0.35, 95% CI [0.29, 0.41]) and strong social support (OR: 0.18, 95% CI [0.15, 0.24]) decreases the odds of experiencing poor mental health. The high prevalence of poor mental health calls for further in-depth investigations and implementation of mental health support interventions.

The relationship between self-consciousness and depression in college students: the chain mediating effect of meaning life and self-efficacy, with the moderating effect of social support

“…Correcting overall confidence, such as general self-efficacy. When general self-efficacy is insufficient to correct negative cognition caused by environmental changes, at this time provide sufficient social support, college students will have a stronger sense of security and strength, reduce anxiety and unease, and can stimulate their desire to achieve success [ 33 ]. Laying a solid foundation for maintaining and improving self-efficacy among college students helps improve depressive symptoms [ 53 ].…”

“…Social support has a negative predictive effect on depression [ 32 ]. College students with lower self-efficacy can effectively alleviate depression by using external support to buffer the impact of stress time on their emotions, enhancing their confidence and endurance when facing challenges and alleviating depression [ 33 ]. Therefore, this study hypothesis that social support would moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and depression.…”