Zhang Shichen, Yang Rong, Cui Yingying, Zhou Yi, Jiang Linlin, Xi Jingjing, Fang Jun
School of Public Health and Health Management, Institute for Smart Ageing, Anhui Medical College, 632th Furong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
Anhui Provincial Center for Maternal and Child Health Genetics, Anhui Medical College, 632th Furong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui Province, China.
Int J Ment Health Syst. 2025 Apr 30;19(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s13033-025-00672-y.
Emotional symptoms have emerged as a major public health concern, affecting the mental and physical well-being of college students worldwide. Negative life events and mental health literacy are commonly recognized as significant predictors of emotional symptoms. However, research on their combined effects remains limited, particularly in longitudinal studies. This study aimed to investigate the interaction between negative life events and mental health literacy in relation to emotional symptoms among college students.
A longitudinal study was conducted from November 2021 to June 2022 to assess negative life events, mental health literacy, and emotional symptoms among college students. A total of 3,210 students (mean age: 19.49 ± 0.87 years) were selected using a cluster sampling method in Anhui Province, China. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the combined effects of negative life events and mental health literacy on emotional symptoms.
The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress symptoms was 15.3%, 19.7%, and 4.2%, respectively. Negative life events were significantly associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms (RR = 1.568, 95%CI: 1.282-1.918), anxiety symptoms (RR = 1.603, 95%CI: 1.338-1.919), and stress symptoms (RR = 1.717, 95%CI: 1.194-2.470). Additionally, students with inadequate mental health literacy exhibited a higher incidence of depressive symptoms (RR = 1.286, 95%CI: 1.035-1.597) and anxiety symptoms (RR = 1.343, 95%CI: 1.105-1.632) compared to those with adequate mental health literacy. Furthermore, students who experienced high levels of negative life events and had inadequate mental health literacy were at the highest risk of developing depressive symptoms (RR = 2.447, 95%CI: 1.709-3.504) and anxiety symptoms (RR = 2.466, 95%CI: 1.802-3.375).
This study did not confirm a direct correlation between mental health literacy and general psychological health. Moreover, due to contextual differences across societies, the generalizability of these findings should be approached with caution. Nonetheless, the results highlight that negative life events and mental health literacy jointly influence emotional symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of interventions aimed at improving college students' mental health literacy and enhancing their ability to cope with negative life events.
情绪症状已成为一个主要的公共卫生问题，影响着全球大学生的身心健康。负面生活事件和心理健康素养通常被认为是情绪症状的重要预测因素。然而，关于它们综合影响的研究仍然有限，尤其是在纵向研究中。本研究旨在调查负面生活事件与心理健康素养之间的相互作用对大学生情绪症状的影响。
于2021年11月至2022年6月进行了一项纵向研究，以评估大学生的负面生活事件、心理健康素养和情绪症状。在中国安徽省采用整群抽样方法共选取了3210名学生（平均年龄：19.49±0.87岁）。采用多因素逻辑回归模型来评估负面生活事件和心理健康素养对情绪症状的综合影响。
抑郁症状、焦虑症状和压力症状的患病率分别为15.3%、19.7%和4.2%。负面生活事件与抑郁症状风险增加显著相关（风险比RR = 1.568，95%置信区间CI：1.282 - 1.918）、焦虑症状（RR = 1.603，95%CI：1.338 - 1.919）和压力症状（RR = 1.717，95%CI：1.194 - 2.470）。此外，与心理健康素养充足的学生相比，心理健康素养不足的学生出现抑郁症状（RR = 1.286，95%CI：1.035 - 1.597）和焦虑症状（RR = 1.343，95%CI：1.105 - 1.632）的发生率更高。此外，经历大量负面生活事件且心理健康素养不足的学生出现抑郁症状（RR = 2.447，95%CI：1.709 - 3.504）和焦虑症状（RR = 2.466，95%CI：1.802 - 3.375）的风险最高。
本研究未证实心理健康素养与总体心理健康之间存在直接关联。此外，由于不同社会背景存在差异，这些研究结果的普遍性应谨慎对待。尽管如此，结果强调负面生活事件和心理健康素养共同影响情绪症状。这些研究结果强调了旨在提高大学生心理健康素养并增强其应对负面生活事件能力的干预措施的重要性。
