Mental health and lifestyle factors among higher education students: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to describe the lifestyle factors and mental health levels among higher education students and identify their predictors. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 745 students was conducted with students from the Polytechnic of Porto using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE)-18, and FANTASTICO Lifestyle Questionnaire. The findings indicate that while students generally exhibited a positive lifestyle, they also experienced mild levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, nearing the moderate threshold. The DASS-21 Depression subscale was a significant predictor of both CORE-18 and FANTASTICO scores, underscoring the strong relationship between depression and overall well-being. Anxiety and stress were also predictors of CORE-18 scores, reflecting the negative impact of stress on students’ psychological well-being. Perceived health status and the male sex were associated with better outcomes on the DASS-21 and CORE-18, while the female sex predicted a healthier lifestyle, as measured by FANTASTICO. These findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions that address mental health and promote healthy lifestyle choices in educational settings.

Keywords

Mental health Lifestyle Higher education Young people Well-being

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/30704

Citation

Simões de Almeida, R., Rodrigues, A., Tavares, S., Barreto, J. F., Marques, A., & Trigueiro, M. J. (2025). Mental Health and Lifestyle Factors Among Higher Education Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 253. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030253