The psychological distress and physical health of Australian psychology honours students

Abstract

Objective: To measure psychological and physical health of psychology students during their Honours year of study, in the context of this being perceived as a high stake, "make-or-break" degree program in Australia. Method: Psychology honours students from 9 universities (N = 179) completed an online survey that included measures of depression, anxiety and stress, physical activity, drug and alcohol use, self-rated health status, future study intentions and desired final grade for the degree. Data were collected in the first semester of the academic year. Results: The sample was overall, high on perceived physical health, with around 74.85% being at least minimally active. Around one quarter were overweight or obese. The majority were non-smokers, and did not regularly misuse drugs or alcohol, although binge drinking was reported by the majority. The majority planned to enter further study to qualify as a registered psychologist. Depression, anxiety, and stress were elevated in the sample, when compared with other comparative reference groups. Those with higher levels of perceived physical health and those aiming for a higher desired final grade were less likely to show elevated scores on psychological distress measures. Conclusions: This study is consistent with published and unpublished data showing that psychological distress levels in this cohort are high. These findings show that this is evident across universities, and that distress is apparent early in the academic year. Educators and the profession have a duty of care and a responsibility to reflect upon the student experience. K E Y W O R D Shonours, make-or-break, mental health, physical health, psychology education, tertiary students

Identifying the Risk and Protective Factors of Psychological Distress among Individuals in Asia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Additionally, it can increase aggressive behavior, cause sleep disturbances, and lead to drug addiction and suicidal tendencies (Bebanic et al, 2017;Gyawali et al, Identifying the Risk and Protective Factors of Psychological Distress among Individuals in Asia during the... PSIKOLOGIKA Volume 28 Nomor 1 Januari 2023 2016; Rezaei et al, 2018;Tang et al, 2018). It can also have physiological effects, including obesity, heart disease, and cancer (Almigbal et al, 2019;Jarrad et al, 2019;McLachlan & Gale, 2018). This highlights that psychological distress affects not only mental health but also physical well-being.…”

“…Horesh et al, 2020;Lahav, 2020;Shahrour & Dardas, 2020).StudiesAlmigbal et al (2019),Jarrad et al (2019), andMcLachlan andGale (2018) showed that physical health issues can impact psychological well-being. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not the only factor causing this problem.…”

Associations between family social circumstances and psychological distress among the university students of Bangladesh: To what extent do the lifestyle factors mediate?

“…Author details 1 School of Population Health, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. 2 School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 3 Department of Sociology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.…”

“…Psychological distress, especially among the students, has been a major public health concern because it is often associated with reduced academic performance [ 1 ], worse physical health [ 2 ], increased risk of mortality [ 3 ], and elevated healthcare costs [ 4 ]. Existing evidence indicates high prevalence rates of psychological distress among students in low, middle, and high-income countries.…”

Psychometric validation of the Emerging Adult Stress Inventory (EASI).

“…Stress associated with romantic and family relationships has also been associated with depressive symptoms (Reed, Ferraro, Lucier-Greer, & Barber, 2015; Vrshek-Schallhorn et al, 2015), health (Donnelly, Renk, & McKinney, 2013), and alcohol-related problems in emerging adult samples more broadly (Backer-Fulghum, Patock-Peckham, King, Roufa, & Hagen, 2012). While the amount and impact of this stress may be enhanced during periods of increased importance, such as prior to entry to postgraduate study (Jarrad, Dry, Semmler, Turnbull, & Chur-Hansen, 2019), these stressors are relevant to the emerging adult population as a whole.…”