BIO833: Research Project B XXXXXXXXXX
Project Title:
Investigation of genetic and environmental risk factors for co-mo
id depression and anxiety disorders.
Supervisor(s): Margaret McLafferty & Elaine Mu
ay
Project Location: Remote Working
Is ethics approval in place: Yes
Background (8 marks):
Research Question & Project Aims (4 marks):
This project aims to assess whether or not their are particular risk factors & genes that co
elate with both anxiety & depression.
Project Aims:
Proposed Methods (4 marks):
Environmental variables Chosen: Childhood Trauma, Age, Gender, U
an
ural settings
Will be using saliva samples to assess which genes are co
elated with co-mo
id anxiety & depression
For genetic factors: SNIP data will be analysed from saliva samples to compare prevalence using Chi Squared.
For environmental factors: A logistic regression will be run using SPSS statistical software package
Limiting Factors (2 marks):
Relevant References:
Mental health, behavioural problems and treatment seeking among students commencing university in Northern Ireland
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Mental health, behavioural problems and
treatment seeking among students
commencing university in Northern Ireland
Margaret McLafferty1, Coral R. Lapsley2, Edel Ennis1, Cherie Armour3, Sam Murphy1,
Brendan P. Bunting1, Anthony J. Bjourson2, Elaine K. Mu
ay2, Siobhan M. O’Neill1*
1 School of Psychology, Ulster University, Magee Campus, De
y/Londonde
y, United Kingdom, 2 Northern
Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute Ulster University, C-TRIC,
Altnagelvin Hospital, De
y/Londonde
y, United Kingdom, 3 School of Psychology, Ulster University,
Coleraine Campus, Coleraine, United Kingdom
* XXXXXXXXXX
Abstract
Mental health and behavioural problems are common among students commencing univer-
sity. University life can be stressful and problems often exace
ate during their course of
study, while others develop disorders for the first time. The WHO World Mental Health Sur-
veys International College Student Project aims to conduct longitudinal research to examine
and monitor student mental health and wellbeing. The Ulster University Student Wellbeing
study, which commenced in September 2015 in Northern Ireland (NI), was conducted as
part of this initiative (wave 1, n = 739), using the WMH-CIDI to examine psychopathology.
Baseline prevalence rates of lifetime and 12-month mental health and substance disorders,
ADHD and suicidality were high, with more than half of new undergraduate students report-
ing any lifetime disorder. Co-mo
idity was common with 19.1% of students experiencing
three or more disorders. Logistic regression models revealed that females, those over 21,
non-heterosexual students, and those from a lower SES background were more likely to
have a range of mental health and behavioural problems. Overall, 10% of new entry stu-
dents received treatment for emotional problems in the previous year. However, 22.3% of
students with problems said they would not seek help. The study provides important infor-
mation for universities, policy makers and practice, on mental health and wellbeing in young
people generally but particularly for students commencing university. The findings will assist
in the development and implementation of protection and prevention strategies in the univer-
sity setting and beyond.
Introduction
Many mental health problems emerge before the age of 18 with the period from 18 to 25 being
a particularly susceptible developmental time in a person’s life [1]. For many young adults, this
may coincide with their time at university. Starting university is a key life transition, which can
e extremely stressful for some people. For a number of students, pre-existing mental health
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OPENACCESS
Citation: McLafferty M, Lapsley CR, Ennis E,
Armour C, Murphy S, Bunting BP, et al. (2017)
Mental health, behavioural problems and treatment
seeking among students commencing university in
Northern Ireland. PLoS ONE 12(12): e0188785.
https:
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone XXXXXXXXXX
Editor: Daimei Sasayama, Shinshu University
School of Medicine, JAPAN
Received: April 25, 2017
Accepted: November 12, 2017
Published: December 13, 2017
Copyright: © 2017 McLafferty et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
eproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
Data Availability Statement: Data access
estrictions apply for ethical reasons as data
contain sensitive participant information.
Restrictions are imposed by Ulster University
Research Ethics Committee. Data are available
from the Ulster University Institutional Data Access
Ethics Committee for researchers who meet the
criteria for access to confidential data (contact:n.
cu
XXXXXXXXXX).
Funding: This work was financed by a grant
awarded to A. J. Bjourson under the European
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problems may be aggravated during this transition. These problems may persist or indeed
worsen during their course of study and can have an impact on academic performance [2–4].
For others, however, the stress of university life and adapting to a new social environment can
trigger psychopathology [5,6].
Recent research has revealed a high and increasing prevalence of psychopathology among
students in higher education [7]. Indeed, the issue is becoming a growing concern globally [8–
10]. For example, in 2014, a large-scale study reported that 32.6% of American students said
that they were so depressed they found it difficult to function, 54% reported overwhelming
anxiety and 8.1% had seriously considered suicide [11]. In 2015, depression rates had increased
to 36.1%, anxiety to 58.6%, and seriously considering suicide rose to 10.3% [7]. In relation to
clinical estimates, the Healthy Minds study of over 14,000 American college students reported
that 17.3% met the criteria for depression, 7% for generalised anxiety disorders, 4.1% for panic
disorders, 6.3% for suicide ideation and 15.3% for self-harm [12].
High prevalence rates of mental health problems and suicidality have also been found
among university students in the UK. For example, when compared to their pre-entry levels,
undergraduate students reported increased levels of anxiety during their first year [6,13], and
poorer psychological wellbeing throughout their time at university [6]. Another study [14]
eported that nearly a quarter of first year students had clinical levels of psychological distress.
Furthermore, it has suggested that the increases in psychological problems may be related to
widening participation in UK universities, with 17.3% of students having mental health prob-
lems, similar to rates found in the general population [15].
In addition to adapting to university life, many students are also adapting to their transition
into adulthood. It has been suggested that the first few months at university are particularly
challenging and stressful due to numerous psychosocial adjustments [16]. Some students may
e living away from their family and friends for the first time. Others may be coming directly
from schools, which were very structured, and they may find it difficult to adapt to a less struc-
tured academic setting [17]. Many older students often have the added responsibility of caring
for family or work commitments, which can lead to added stress.
A large-scale study conducted in an Australian university reported that females, those aged
25–34, students with a low income and non-heterosexual students had the highest rates of
mental health problems [18]. Additional studies co
oborate that females have significantly
higher rates of mental health problems [12,19,20]. Students who struggle financially also have
significantly higher rates of mental health problems [5,21] than those who do not report finan-
cial concerns. Indeed, research has revealed that deprivation has a very negative impact on
mental health in NI [22]. Furthermore, high rates of mental illnesses are especially common in
those who identify as bi-sexual or homosexual [23].
Moreover, while mental health problems are highly prevalent and persistent, research has
shown that many students who meet the criteria for a disorder do not receive treatment [2].
For example, a study found that only 36% of students in the US who had a mental health prob-
lem received treatment in the previous 12 months [24]. The uptake of treatment was even
lower in a recent cross-national study which examined findings from 21 countries, with only
16.4% of students receiving treatment for their mental health problems in the previous yea
[4].
Significant gender differences in help seeking have also been found, with 11% of female stu-
dents looking for help in comparison to 6% of males [25]. A global survey found that while
males made up 43.8% of the student body, they only comprised of 33.9% of clients who pre-
sented to college counselling centres [26], suggesting that males tend not to seek help for men-
tal health problems. While females generally have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders
[26] this only partially accounts for the gender difference found in help seeking.
Mental health and treatment seeking problems among students in Northern Ireland
PLOS ONE | https:
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Union Regional Development Fund (ERDF) EU
Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for N.
Ireland & the Northern Ireland Public Health
Agency (HSC R&D). The funders had no role in
study design, data collection and analysis, decision
to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared
that no competing interests exist.
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doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone XXXXXXXXXX
While some studies [15,27] reported comparable rates of mental health disorders between
the general population and university students, other studies have found significantly highe
prevalence rates among students [21,28]. For instance, a study conducted in an Australian uni-
versity reported elevated prevalence rates in the student population when compared with the
general population, with a quarter of students experiencing very high levels of psychological
problems [29]. The first onset of suicidal thoughts and behaviours have also been found to be
higher among college students in comparison to the general population [3].
However, cross-national research ca
ied out by the WHO World Mental Health Survey
Initiative revealed that 20.3% of students had a 12-month mental health disorder in compari-
son to 21.4% of non-students in the population. Conversely, the highest level of 12-month
mental health problems was found in those who had commenced university but failed to grad-
uate, with 25% of those who dropped out reporting psychological problems [4]. Additionally,
those with mental health problems may be less likely to get a place in university, which may
partially account for the slightly higher rate of psychopathology found in some studies fo
non-students [4].
Studies co
oborate that mental health problems can impact severely on a student’s life [30].
Indeed, mental health problems considerably disrupt learning ability [10], with psychopathol-
ogy, particularly anxiety and depression, being associated with lower grades [31]. In addition,
students who had lifetime suicide plans and attempts when entering