Comparing the mental health of Australian university students with that of young people who are not in higher education

Bibliographic Data

ID21324900
AuthorsDimity A Crisp (0000-0003-0241-1121, University of Canberra, corresponding author), Sabina Albrecht (0000-0002-2896-5248, Orygen Youth Health), Debra Rickwood (0000-0002-4227-0231, University of Canberra)
Year2025
Volume90
Issue6
Pages1731-1742
Publication date2025-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHigher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-1560 • E-ISSN: 1573-174X
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10734-025-01401-7
OpenAlexW4407089386
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited25

Compared with their non-student counterparts, young adults engaged in higher education are often reported to be at greater risk for mental health concerns. However, research directly comparing university student and non-student populations is limited. This study uses a community sample to investigate differences in the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians (17–25 years) engaged in university study ( n = 828) compared with their age-matched non-studying peers ( n = 880). Comparisons are made on mean levels of psychological distress, wellbeing, resilience, and loneliness, as well as the proportion of individuals meeting commonly used classifications for mental health and wellbeing. We then examine the role of employment on reported distress and wellbeing. While a substantial proportion of the sample reported high to very high distress, our study found no overall substantive difference in levels of distress or wellbeing between students and non-students. An examination of employment status revealed a more nuanced result. Full-time employment was associated with greater psychological distress in students, where otherwise students reported better wellbeing and lower distress than their non-student peers. These findings challenge the common discourse of tertiary students as having a greater risk of distress than the general community. However, attempting to combine full-time work with full-time study is challenging, and the pressures of such work can increase distress. Increased financial assistance for tertiary students is needed to ease work pressures, along with greater understanding of the flexibility needed to balance work and study commitments

Distress · Flexibility (engineering) · Higher education · Loneliness · Mental distress · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychological resilience · Well-being · Clinical Psychology · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology

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