Associations between negative life events and anxiety, depressive, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional study among Chinese male senior college students

Psychiatry Res. 2018 Dec:270:26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.019. Epub 2018 Sep 13.

Abstract

The aims of this study were to explore the associations between negative life events and anxiety, depressive, and stress symptoms among male senior college students who experience negative life events in daily life. Data were obtained from 582 male senior college students recruited from universities in Chongqing China. Participants completed the Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Socio-demographic information, lifestyle information, and a blood sample were acquired. 39 (6.7%), 74 (12.7%), and 39 (6.7%) subjects were depressed, anxious, and stressed, respectively. The results confirmed that negative life events were positively related to mental health problems. Different types of negative life events had their specific associations with being depressed, anxious, or stressed. With respect to different types of negative life events, subjects with more "interpersonal relationship" related problems had a higher probability of being anxious and stressed; whereas, subjects with more "change for adaptation" related problems had a higher probability of being depressed and anxious. These results indicate that more concerns over the events with both high occurrence rate and severity might be helpful to mental health prevention and promotion for senior college students.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Negative life events; Senior college students; Stress.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety / epidemiology*
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Depression / epidemiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Life Change Events*
  • Male
  • Stress, Psychological / epidemiology*
  • Students / statistics & numerical data*
  • Universities / statistics & numerical data*
  • Young Adult