SMAART Well-being

Well-being Among Youth

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Factors affecting well-being

Risk factors associated with well-being 

  1. Mental Disorders: As per a survey conducted by WHO, anxiety disorders followed by mood disorders, substance disorders, and behavioral disorders acts as possible factors of Well-being (1)
  2. Environmental  factors: Research have demonstrated academic demands, facing new people, making independent choices, and being away from homes, and social networks (2) impacts student’s well being. similarly on-call responsibilities, high workload, competitive training, peer pressure, a large volume of content to study, and financial burdens also negatively effects well-being of students (3) 
  3. Anxiety and Depression: Studies across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya have also reported prevalence of anxiety and depression among university students (4, 5, 6)
  4. Diet patterns: A research study demonstrated association between unhealthy eating, anxiety and depression (7)
  5. Lack of mental health awareness and care: Research have demonstrated lack of mental care negatively impacts well-being of college-going students (8).

References

  1. Auerbach RP, Alonso J, Axinn WG, Cuijpers P, Ebert DD, Green JG, et al. Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Psychological Medicine [Internet]. 2016 Aug 3;46(14):2955–70. Available from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/mental-disorders-among-college-students-in-the-world-health-organization-world-mental-health-surveys/34942DEAFC35899349114B73E84FB080
  2. Cleary M, Walter G, Jackson D. “Not Always Smooth Sailing”: Mental Health Issues Associated with the Transition from High School to College. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 2011 Feb 28;32(4):250–4.
  3. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Medical Student Distress: Causes, Consequences, and Proposed Solutions. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2005 Dec;80(12):1613–22.
  4. Bantjes J, Lochner C, Saal W, Roos J, Taljaard L, Page D, et al. Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of common mental disorders among first-year university students in post-apartheid South Africa: implications for a public mental health approach to student wellness. BMC Public Health. 2019 Jul 10;19(1).
  5. Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Olowu S, Olasupo M. Depression and Associated Factors Among University Students in Western Nigeria. Journal of Psychology in Africa. 2013 Jan;23(3):459–65.
  6. Othieno CJ, Okoth R, Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Malla LO. Traumatic experiences, posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, and health-risk behavior in relation to injury among University of Nairobi students in Kenya. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. 2015 Oct;50(3):299–316.
  7. Ramón-Arbués E, Martínez Abadía B, Granada López JM, Echániz Serrano E, Pellicer García B, Juárez Vela R, et al. Conducta alimentaria y su relación con el estrés, la ansiedad, la depresión y el insomnio en estudiantes universitarios [Eating behavior and relationships with stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia in university students.]. Nutr Hosp 2019;36(6):1339-1345 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.20960/nh.02641] [Medline: 31657605]
  8. Negash A, Khan MA, Medhin G, Wondimagegn D, Araya M. Mental distress, perceived need, and barriers to receive professional mental health care among university students in Ethiopia. BMC Psychiatry 2020;20(1):187 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02602-3] [Medline: 32334569]