The whole-university approach to mental health emphasises that well-being should be a strategic priority across all aspects of higher education. However, there is limited evidence on which aspects of university life institutions should target to maximise well-being.

To identify factors associated with student mental health and well-being and provide an evidence base for developing initiatives that protect and promote this.

The Nurture-U survey was conducted across five universities in the UK from 2022 to 2024. This cross-sectional sample of the survey data assessed student well-being and mental health at the start of the academic year. Hierarchical linear regression models examined the relative association between demographic, family history, university and lifestyle variables and self-reported depression, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), anxiety, measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and well-being, measured using the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS).

A total of 14 172 students completed the survey. Over a quarter self-reported probable anxiety or depression based on established screening thresholds. Regression analysis indicated that younger age, identifying as female or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex or asexual (LGBTQIA+) and reporting a disability were associated with poorer mental health. There was minimal evidence of mental health impact associated with university factors, such as course of study or university attended. There was a strong association with exercise and self-care.

We have provided evidence that exercise and self-care may be areas that universities can target when considering a whole-university approach to student mental health and well-being. Increasing opportunities for students from all backgrounds, means and abilities to adopt healthy behaviours is vital to supporting university students.

To determine the correlation between spiritual self-care practices and mindfulness among cancer patients in southeast Iran.

This descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 600 eligible cancer patients. Data were collected using three instruments: a demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Spiritual Self-Care Practice Scale, and the Relaxation, Meditation, and Mindfulness Trait Tracker (RMMtm 3.1). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including multivariate regression analysis.

The mean total score for spiritual self-care practice among cancer patients was 3.17 ± 1.15, which was above the questionnaire’s midpoint. Mindful emotion had the highest mean score (3.78 ± 1.67), followed by mindful focus (3.20 ± 1.57) and mindful relaxation (3.14 ± 1.65). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that 63.9% of the variance in spiritual self-care was explained by variables including mindful emotion (β = 0.321, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.122, 0.181]), mindful quiet (β = 0.213, p < 0.001, 95% CI: [0.065, 0.128]), and mindful transcendence (β = 0.163, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.058, 0.139]). Income level, history of underlying disease, and disease stage also showed significant associations.

The study findings indicate a significant relationship between spiritual self-care practice and dimensions of mindfulness. Nurses can address patients’ spiritual self-care practice needs by implementing the nursing process and empowering them through interventions that enhance mindfulness.

This analysis aimed to examine past 20-year prevalence trends of multiple mental health outcomes by age and sex, using repeated cross-sectional survey data from the Canadian household population.

Age- and sex-stratified bootstrap-weighted prevalence estimates were calculated from available Canadian Community Health Survey datasets between 2002 and 2024. Categorizations for age included adolescents and young adults (12–29 years), middle-aged adults (30–64 years) and older adults (65+ years). Mental health outcomes included self-reported professionally diagnosed mood and anxiety disorder, depression survey scales (Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for Major Depression /9-item brief Patient Health Questionnaire) and fair/poor self-perceived mental health. Stratified prevalence estimates from each year were combined and assessed for heterogeneity using random-effects meta-analysis. In the instance of heterogeneity, meta-regression models were applied to generate predicted prevalence trends over time for each mental health outcome, by age and sex categories.

The prevalence of all mental health outcomes increased from 2002/2003 to 2024, in all age groups of both sexes. For example, in adolescent and young adult males, the weighted prevalence of diagnosed mood disorder increased from 2.37% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.03, 2.78) in 2003 to 12.58% (95% CI: 10.37, 15.19) in 2024, while prevalence in females of this age group increased from 5.23% (95% CI: 4.76, 5.74) in 2003 to 21.49% (95% CI: 18.97, 24.24) in 2024. Generally, young males saw the greatest relative increases in prevalence, while young females had the greatest absolute increases. Middle-aged and older adults also saw notable increases in their prevalence of poor mental health. Quadratic survey year terms were statistically significant in meta-regression analysis for all outcomes, age and sex groups (excluding mood disorder trends in65+-year-old adults), suggesting curvilinear trends. Male age categories showed more similar trends over time when compared to age-specific estimates of females.

The broad identification of increasing prevalence across various outcomes, age and sex groups has not been highlighted by prior research. Though prevalence increases in young females remain distinct, this finding aligns with previous literature. Consistency of trend patterns between diverse mental health outcomes indicates that multiple dimensions of mental health may be changing similarly over time. Future analyses are critical in understanding the potential factors contributing to these trends and should look to include broad population samples, rather than limiting analyses to specific age/sex groups.

This study aims to examine the longitudinal associations between work–family conflict (WFC) and mental health among working parents. Specifically, we investigated whether within-person changes in WFC and family-to-work conflict (FWC) are associated with changes in mental health.

Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey were used to employ within-person fixed effects regression analysis to examine associations between WFC and mental health in working-age adults (18–64 years) with parental responsibilities for children ≤14 years. The outcome, general mental health and overall psychological well-being, was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5 scale as a continuous variable with scores ranging from 0 to 100. Both dimensions of WFC, measured as continuous variables ranging from 1 to 7 with higher scores indicative of greater conflict (work-to-family and family-to-work), were interrogated, as were gender differences. Exposures, outcome and covariates were assessed repeatedly across the 21-year follow-up period.

A total of 7,265 participants (46,564 observations) across waves 2001–2021 who were working-age parents engaged in paid employment with children ≤14 years, with at least two waves of data and non-missing data were included in the analyses. Mean (SD) duration of follow-up was 6.1 (3.7) years and 6.7 (4.2) years for mothers and fathers, respectively. A total of 49.6% of participants were female, and the mean baseline age was 35 years for both mothers and fathers. Increasing WFC was negatively associated with mental health in women (β coefficient = −1.25 [95% CI: −1.45, −1.05]) and men (β coefficient = −1.21 [95% CI: −1.40, −1.02]). Increasing FWC was associated with worse mental health in women (β coefficient = −1.09 [95% CI: −1.33, −0.85]) and men (β coefficient = −1.51 [95% CI: −1.75, −1.28]).

Changes in both WFC and FWC over time are associated with changes in mental health for women and men. More attention needs to be devoted to identifying and implementing strategies to enable working parents to cope with or reduce WFC.

Psychosocial factors represent modifiable targets relevant to alleviate depression risk. While individual psychosocial risks are well-documented, their combined status across multiple life domains is underexplored. We aimed to construct a novel multidimensional composite score of psychosocial status and explore its association with incidence of depression.

A total of 336,922 individuals (mean age 56.21 years) without depression at baseline from the UK Biobank were included. Psychosocial status was assessed across four dimensions (recent stressful events, current psychiatric symptoms, social contact and socio-economic status) using 18 factors. A composite psychosocial score was constructed by weight effect of each factor, with higher values indicating lower level of psychosocial status. Using Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the associations between individual psychosocial factor, psychosocial score and the risk of depression.

During a median follow-up of 13.60 years, 14,806 depression cases were identified. Low household income, recent depressive symptoms, loneliness and financial difficulties emerged as the most significant predictors of depression across four domains, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 3.82 (95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 3.43–4.26), 3.09 (2.99–3.19), 2.46 (2.37–2.54) and 1.96 (1.88–2.04), respectively. Each one-point increase in the psychosocial score was associated with a 42% higher depression risk. Compared to individuals with high psychosocial status, those in the medium- and low-level groups had an adjusted HR of 1.71 (95% CI: 1.62–1.81) and 4.36 (95% CI: 4.15–4.58), respectively.

These findings highlight that psychosocial factors collectively represent modifiable targets for preventing depression, with interventions addressing the combined status of these domains likely offering greater impact than focusing on isolated factors.

Disclosure of a mental health problem carries both risks and benefits. It can be seen as a measure of perceptions of the social environment in which people with mental health problems live, work and study. A nationally representative Australian survey conducted in 2014 showed that, in many settings, non-disclosure was more common than disclosure. This study aimed to investigate whether disclosure in a broad range of settings has changed since the 2014 national survey.

Large nationally representative surveys of Australian adults were conducted in 2014 and 2024. For each, those who reported a mental health problem or were experiencing high psychological distress (n = 1381 in 2014, n = 2613 in 2024) were asked about disclosure in multiple settings. Regression analyses were used to explore whether changes between survey years were significant at p < 0.01, adjusting for sociodemographic variables of age, gender, education level, language spoken at home, country of birth and type of mental health problem. Secondary analyses assessed the sociodemographic and mental health problem characteristics associated with changes.

In 2024, participants were less likely than in 2014 to have disclosed to friends, partners, family members and some people in the neighbourhood, with relative risk ratios (RRRs) ranging from 0.33 (99% confidence interval [CI]: 0.23, 0.48; p < 0.001) for all family members to 0.64 (99% CI: 0.46, 0.88; p < 0.001) for some people in the neighbourhood. Workplace disclosure did not change significantly. For health professionals not involved in mental health treatment, the RRRs of disclosure were higher in 2024 than in 2014 (RRR = 1.56 [99% CI: 1.16, 2.10; p < 0.001] for disclosure to some and RRR = 2.31 [99% CI: 1.61, 3.32; p < 0.001] for disclosure to all).

Except for disclosure to health professionals not involved in mental health treatment, there have been decreases or no changes in disclosure of a mental health problem in most settings over the last 10 years. This likely reflects both perceptions of, and actual, reductions in supportive social environments. Urgent action is needed to ensure that, for people who do disclose a mental health problem, the benefits strongly outweigh the risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic is often portrayed as a universal mental health crisis, especially in studies lacking pre-pandemic data. Research including pre-pandemic assessments nonetheless yields mixed results, making the pandemic’s impact unclear, particularly when considering differences between general and clinical populations (defined as individuals with prior mental disorder diagnoses). This study examined depression and anxiety trajectories from pre-pandemic to pandemic phases in general and clinical populations. It also explored how symptom trajectories varied by sociodemographic and pandemic-related factors.

In the current study, we drew on three general-population cohorts from Germany and France (n = 1,813) that had previously been harmonized within the Co-RESPOND project. We additionally harmonized and integrated three clinical cohorts from the Netherlands (n = 1,069) into this pooled dataset. Cohorts were included in the present study if they provided pre-pandemic baseline data and at least two assessments during the pandemic. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using validated instruments and transformed into z-scores to enable cross-cohort comparability. Symptom trajectories were identified separately for general-population and clinical cohorts using latent growth mixture modelling, and logistic regressions were used to examine factors associated with trajectory membership.

Participants in the general-population sample had a median age of 39.8 years, while those in the clinical sample had a median age of 57.4 years. Women accounted for 64.6% of the general-population group and 67% of the clinical group. In the general population, approximately 80% showed decreasing symptoms, including those with higher initial severity, while 20% maintained low levels. Divorce/separation and having children were related to more favourable anxiety and depression trajectories, while older age and childcare burden were associated with less favourable trajectories of depressive symptoms. In the clinical population, approximately half improved from moderate symptom levels, with the remainder exhibiting consistently high or low symptoms. Being in a relationship, older age and being a man were linked to more favourable anxiety trajectories.

This study provides substantial evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic did not lead to a uniform deterioration in mental health, as most adults across both general and clinical populations experienced stable or improving symptoms. Our findings underscore the need for mental health surveillance and differentiated, proportionate responses that reflect diverse symptom patterns and risk profiles.

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and lower happiness has been associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Korean populations. We aimed to estimate a nation-level item network of happiness, affect, personality and well-being evaluations in South Korea and to test whether this network differed by sex, income and generation.

We analysed 2020–2023 Korean Happiness Survey data from 64,531 respondents in South Korea; the network analyses used 61,675 complete cases. A Gaussian graphical model with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regularization estimated edges among happiness, affect, personality and well-being evaluations. Subgroup differences by sex, income and generation were assessed with permutation-based Network Comparison Tests.

The network contained 199 of 435 possible edges (45.7%). The strongest affective and happiness-related pairwise connections included happiness-enjoyment, stress-tiredness, sadness-depression and depression-anger. Global strength did not differ significantly across the planned subgroup comparisons, but network structure differed by sex, income, Millennials and Generation Z (MZ) versus Generation X, and MZ versus Baby Boomers. In the income comparison, happiness was more negatively linked to the agreeableness item ‘generally trusting’ in the low-income network, whereas its link with time for hobbies was stronger in the high-income network. In the generational comparison, the happiness-stress edge differed between the MZ generation and Baby Boomers, whereas no happiness-connected edge survived false discovery rate correction for MZ versus Generation X. No happiness-connected edge differed significantly by sex.

In South Korea, happiness was most closely linked to enjoyment and embedded within tightly connected affective and evaluative domains. The subgroup differences were selective rather than global, suggesting that future work relevant to population well-being and suicide prevention may benefit from focusing on specific happiness-linked domains such as positive affect, stress-related ties, discretionary time and perceived future security.

Children in families navigating significant adversity often face co-occurring physical and mental health problems, which together can contribute to substantial marginalization across the life course. These children and their families may greatly benefit from targeted interventions to disrupt accumulating vulnerability, which requires empirical evidence on the underlying dynamics of adversity and health problems throughout childhood.

We investigated associations between childhood adversities (material deprivation, experiences of loss or threat of loss, and family dynamics) and hospitalizations for mental and physical health problems across four developmental periods among 11,978 children who experienced high rates of family adversity. We used data from the Danish Life Course (DANLIFE) register-based cohort study and applied cross-lagged networks models. Hospitalizations were identified through inpatient, outpatient, and emergency hospital contacts.

We found clear evidence of reciprocal associations between childhood adversities and physical and mental health problems across childhood, alongside strong autoregressive effects within adversity and health domains, indicating vicious circles of reinforcing vulnerability. Conditional on high health problems in infancy, childhood adversity was not found to be associated with additional health problems throughout the rest of childhood. Child health problems were, however, positively associated with subsequent adversity across childhood.

Dynamics of childhood adversity and poor health give rise to complex reinforcing patterns of vulnerability over time. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the emergence of vulnerability resulting from childhood adversity and poor health in children, highlighting the importance of embracing the complex nature of these emergent phenomena, both in research and intervention.

Although a relationship between body fat and mental health problems has been established, sex-based differences in this association remain insufficiently understood.

To investigate the association of whole-body and regional fat mass indices with anxiety symptoms in men and women.

A nationwide sample of 3856 men and 5010 women was analysed. Fat mass of the whole body, trunk, arm and leg was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyser, and fat mass indices (kg/m2) were derived by dividing fat mass by height squared. Symptoms of anxiety were determined using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Logistic regressions were used to investigate the association of each fat mass index with anxiety symptoms. Sex-stratified analyses were conducted to assess sex-related differences.

The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 3.3% among men and 5.5% among women. Among female participants, a one-standard deviation increase in whole-body, trunk, arm or leg fat mass index was associated with 1.20-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.39), 1.21-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.41), 1.19-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.35) and 1.19-fold (95% CI: 1.03–1.38) increases in odds of anxiety symptoms, respectively. By contrast, no clear association was observed between fat mass indices and anxiety symptoms in men.

Our analysis demonstrated sex differences in the relationship between body fat and anxiety, with high whole-body and regional fat mass indices positively associated with anxiety symptoms in women.