Gender differences in the relationship between mental health and academic performance among undergraduate students at a medical school in Shanghai: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
Epidemiological studies indicate that 12% to 50% of university students suffer from one or more common mental health problems, which may be linked to academic performance. However, most current studies provide associations between only a single mental disorder and college students' academic performance, with inconsistent results, and do not consider gender differences. The objective of this study was to analyze the mental health status across various dimensions among male and female college students and to explore the impact of gender on the relationship between mental health status and academic performance. This study used a cross-sectional design conducted at an undergraduate medical school in Shanghai, China. Data were collected from undergraduate students in the 2020–2021 academic year, with a total of 6923 students (2153 males and 4770 females) completing the survey. The SCL-90 scale was used to screen for mental health problems. Data on student academic performance were obtained from school records. Logistic regression were used to examine the association between mental health status and academic performance. The overall positive rate for the mental health status of the participants was 41.2%, with 39.6% for males and 41.9% for females. Among female students, those with positive mental health were more likely to underperform academically (aOR = 1.183, 95% CI: 1.035–1.353, p 0.05). The poor mental health status of female college students was significantly correlated…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause.
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