A recent Nutrients study conducted an online survey to investigate the association between lifestyle factors and mental illness (MI) in college-going women.
Study: The Relationship between Lifestyle Behaviors and Mental Illness in Women in College. Image Credit: Pheelings media/Shutterstock.com
Mental illness in college enrolled women
The prevalence of mental illness, particularly depression and anxiety, is rapidly increasing globally. In the United States of America, young adults (between 18 and 25 years of age) are more prone to develop mental illness relative to other age groups.
A recent survey showed that one million more individuals were diagnosed with MI in 2022 compared to 2021.
In comparison to men, women of all age groups are more vulnerable to developing MI. Among women, those enrolled in colleges or universities were found to be at a higher risk of developing MI.
Previous studies have shown that the development of depression, stress, and anxiety in college negatively impacts academic performance, social connection, and health.
These adverse effects could persist over a longer time, i.e., throughout adulthood, and could influence morbidity and mortality.
Several studies have identified the possible social, academic, and economic factors that influence mental health in college and university students.
This young population also experiences sudden changes in lifestyle behaviors, which are associated with their diet, tobacco or nicotine use, sleep habits, physical activity, and alcohol consumption.
The shifts in lifestyle patterns are also linked with sudden mealtime responsibilities after being separated from parents, i.e., beginning to prepare meals for themselves.
Interestingly, a previous study revealed that students who consumed more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, fish, nuts, and whole grains were at a reduced risk of developing depression.
Besides diet quality and irregular meal times, poor sleep quality is another complaint among college students. Previous studies have shown that insomnia and hypersomnia significantly influence depression.
Considering the effect of lifestyle factors, it is imperative to understand the extent to which lifestyle behaviors influence mental health the most in women enrolled in colleges. Identification of modifiable risk factors would enable clinicians to target potential areas of treatment and preventive strategies.
About the study
The current study hypothesized that lifestyle factors, such as diet quality, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, and tobacco/nicotine use, both independently and jointly, were linked with MI symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression) in college women.
Standard American English-speaking women enrolled in US colleges or universities were recruited in this study.
Each selected participant completed an online Qualtrics survey comprising two validated questionnaires: the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Diet History Questionnaire II (DHQ II).
These participants also provided information regarding their employment, school status, housing, and lifestyle behaviors.
Study findings
Even though no significant association between sleep duration, diet quality, and tobacco/nicotine use and MI was observed, alcohol consumption was found to be significantly related to MI symptoms among college-enrolled women. This conclusion was based on 222 participants who provided complete dietary and mental health data.
The majority of the participants enrolled as full-time, undergraduate students. They were mostly single and employed, and their mean age was 22. The study cohort was predominantly comprised of White students, with a minority of Hispanic or Latino students.
Almost 50% of the study cohort exhibited depression or anxiety symptoms and were classified in the range from “Mild” to “Extremely Severe” MI.
Most MI symptoms were categorized within the moderate severity range, and only 9% of participants were found to experience severe or extremely severe symptoms. It is important to note that these estimations were lower than the national average.
The overall diet quality of the study cohort was poor, with only five women maintaining a high-quality diet. In line with previous study findings, the current study revealed that an independent diet was not associated with MI development among women in college.
This study contradicts its findings with multiple studies that established an association between an overall high-quality diet and reduced depression. This contradictory result could be attributed to the overall poor diet quality of the present study cohort.
Notably, most of the study cohort fulfilled adequate sleep requirements, were not tobacco users, and consumed limited alcohol. The presence of more than one unhealthy lifestyle behavior increases the severity of MI symptoms in women in college.
Conclusions
The current study indicated that college-enrolled women with unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were more inclined to develop severe depression and anxiety symptoms.
Therefore, these women could benefit from lifestyle-based interventions associated with a healthy diet, proper sleep, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use as a part of preventive or treatment strategies.
In the future, more research is required to elucidate the association between lifestyle behaviors and MI symptoms based on a more diverse cohort and additional lifestyle factors.
Compared to medication, targeting lifestyle behaviors is a safer and more effective strategy for alleviating the long-term consequences of MI symptom burden.