abstract: 'Objective: To examine differences between university students,

  vocational education and training (VET) students, tertiary students

  combined and non-students in the prevalence of psychological distress

  and the socio-demographic and economic characteristics associated with

  psychological distress.

  Method: The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale was used to estimate

  the prevalence of moderate (16-21) and high (22-50) distress with data

  from three national surveys: the 2007 Household, Income and Labour

  Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, the 2007-08 National Health Survey

  (NHS), and the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

  (NSMHWB). Multinomial logistic regression models were also estimated

  using the HILDA survey to examine any differences in the characteristics

  associated with moderate and high distress between the groups.

  Results: There was evidence of a higher prevalence of moderate distress

  in tertiary students than non-students in the HILDA survey (27.1\% vs

  21.2\%, p < 0.05) and the NSMHWB (27.4\% vs 19.5\%, p < 0.05), but not

  the NHS (26.1\% vs 22.5\%, p > 0.05). However, standardized rates for

  age and gender attenuated the difference in moderate distress in the

  HILDA survey and the NSMHWB. The prevalence of high distress was similar

  between the groups in all three surveys. The multinomial regression

  analyses using the HILDA survey showed the following subgroups of

  students to be at a greater risk of high distress relative to those with

  low distress: younger university students, and university and VET

  students with financial problems. Compared to VET students and

  non-students, younger university students and those who worked 1-39

  hours per week in paid employment were at a greater risk of high

  distress.

  Conclusions: There is evidence that tertiary students have a greater

  prevalence of moderate, but not high distress than non-students.

  Financial factors increase the risk of high distress and are likely to

  take on more importance as the participation rate of socio-economically

  disadvantaged students increases.'
affiliation: 'Cvetkovski, S (Corresponding Author), Univ Melbourne, Orygen Youth Hlth
  Res Ctr, Ctr Youth Mental Hlth, Locked Bag 10, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia.

  Cvetkovski, Stefan; Reavley, Nicola J.; Jorm, Anthony F., Univ Melbourne, Orygen
  Youth Hlth Res Ctr, Ctr Youth Mental Hlth, Parkville, Vic 3052, Australia.'
author: Cvetkovski, Stefan and Reavley, Nicola J. and Jorm, Anthony F.
author-email: stefanc@unimelb.edu.au
author_list:
- family: Cvetkovski
  given: Stefan
- family: Reavley
  given: Nicola J.
- family: Jorm
  given: Anthony F.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/0004867411435290
eissn: 1440-1614
files: []
issn: 0004-8674
journal: AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY
keywords: Psychological distress; tertiary students
keywords-plus: '2007 NATIONAL-SURVEY; MENTAL-HEALTH; UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS;

  GENERAL-POPULATION; HIGHER-EDUCATION; DISORDERS; DEPRESSION; ANXIETY'
language: English
month: MAY
number: '5'
number-of-cited-references: '27'
orcid-numbers: 'Reavley, Nicola/0000-0001-5513-8291

  Jorm, Anthony F/0000-0002-1424-4116'
pages: 457-467
papis_id: 843d64189e95cad9b18c0c82e8506204
ref: Cvetkovski2012prevalencecorrelates
researcherid-numbers: 'Reavley, Nicola/ABE-6510-2020

  Jorm, Anthony F/B-5555-2009'
times-cited: '133'
title: The prevalence and correlates of psychological distress in Australian tertiary
  students compared to their community peers
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000304181700009
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '35'
volume: '46'
web-of-science-categories: Psychiatry
year: '2012'