Longitudinal study of financial difficulties and mental health in a national sample of British undergraduate students
Longitudinal study of financial difficulties and mental health in a national sample of British undergraduate students
Background: Previous research has shown a relationship between financial difficulties and poor mental health in students, but most research is cross-sectional.
Objectives: To examine longitudinal relationships over time between financial variables and mental health in students.
Methods: A national sample of 454 first year British undergraduate students completed measures of mental health and financial variables at up to four time points across a year.
Results: Cross-sectional relationships were found between poorer mental health and female gender, having a disability and non-white ethnicity. Greater financial difficulties predicted greater depression and stress cross-sectionally, and also predicted poorer anxiety, global mental health and alcohol dependence over time. Depression worsened over time for those who had considered abandoning studies or not coming to university for financial reasons, and there were effects for how students viewed their student loan. Anxiety and alcohol dependence also predicted worsening financial situation suggesting a bi-directional relationship.
Conclusions: Financial difficulties appear to lead to poor mental health in students with the possibility of a vicious cycle occurring.
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Richardson, Thomas
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Elliott, Peter
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Roberts, Ron
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Jansen, Megan
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Richardson, Thomas
f8d84122-b061-4322-a594-5ef2eb5cad0d
Elliott, Peter
5822a831-b8e7-440d-9b0d-81721337a3e2
Roberts, Ron
a64219d4-a9cb-4135-b46b-57fff7347b04
Jansen, Megan
0cb45894-0310-4e66-bd06-bd773ee06c8e
Richardson, Thomas, Elliott, Peter, Roberts, Ron and Jansen, Megan
(2016)
Longitudinal study of financial difficulties and mental health in a national sample of British undergraduate students.
Community Mental Health Journal, .
(doi:10.1007/s10597-016-0052-0).
Abstract
Background: Previous research has shown a relationship between financial difficulties and poor mental health in students, but most research is cross-sectional.
Objectives: To examine longitudinal relationships over time between financial variables and mental health in students.
Methods: A national sample of 454 first year British undergraduate students completed measures of mental health and financial variables at up to four time points across a year.
Results: Cross-sectional relationships were found between poorer mental health and female gender, having a disability and non-white ethnicity. Greater financial difficulties predicted greater depression and stress cross-sectionally, and also predicted poorer anxiety, global mental health and alcohol dependence over time. Depression worsened over time for those who had considered abandoning studies or not coming to university for financial reasons, and there were effects for how students viewed their student loan. Anxiety and alcohol dependence also predicted worsening financial situation suggesting a bi-directional relationship.
Conclusions: Financial difficulties appear to lead to poor mental health in students with the possibility of a vicious cycle occurring.
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Accepted/In Press date: 22 July 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 July 2016
Organisations:
Psychology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 398674
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/398674
ISSN: 0010-3853
PURE UUID: 57402187-bb07-4638-ae08-7d4783f500c8
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Date deposited: 01 Aug 2016 08:26
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:07
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Author:
Peter Elliott
Author:
Ron Roberts
Author:
Megan Jansen
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