The Prevalence of Mental Distress and Social Support among University Students in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Sawsan M. A. Abuhamdah, Abdallah Y. Naser, Ghada Mohammad Abdelwahab and Ahmad AlQatawneh
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Sawsan M. A. Abuhamdah: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Abu Dhabi Campus, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Al Ain 64141, United Arab Emirates
Abdallah Y. Naser: Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan
Ghada Mohammad Abdelwahab: Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman 11622, Jordan
Ahmad AlQatawneh: ACDIMA Center for Bioequivalence and Pharmaceutical Studies, Department of Clinical Research, Amman 11190, Jordan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: Objectives: To examine the prevalence of mental distress among university students in Jordan. Methods: An online cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted between 12th of June and the 4th of August 2021 in Jordan to measure student mental stress using Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20). Results: A total of 1063 university students participated in the study. One-third of the participating students reported that they had a history of COVID-19 infection. More than half of the participating university students (65.7%) were found to have mental distress (measured symptomatically by the SRQ-20 with a score of eight or more). The average mental distress score was 9.8 (SD: 5.5) out of 20. Female students, students from non-medical colleges, students in their last years of study, students with chronic diseases and those with low income were associated with high levels of mental distress ( p < 0.05). With regards to social support, a moderate level of social support was received from three sources: persons considered as significant others, family members, and friends. The average social support score for the participating university students was 41.9 (SD: 10.3) out of 60 (equivalent to 69.8%). Conclusions: Mental distress is prevalent among university students in Jordan. There is a need for evidence-based governmental strategies and interventions that provide social support at universities such as self-help measures and professional mental health services as part of student health services that would be helpful to reduce the burden of mental distress of students and promote the mission of the integration of mental health in all university policies.

Keywords: mental distress; social support; mental health; university students (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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