1. BACKGROUND
The prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depressive
symptomatology in Canadian university students
This study examined the prevalence of depressive
symptomatology, stress and anxiety levels and their
relationships with perceived quality of life within a group of
Canadian university students.
Data were collected from 210 full-time undergraduate
students at the University of British Columbia
Okanagan through an online survey in which
participants self-reported their stress, anxiety,
depressive symptomatology, and quality of life using
the following validated tools:
• Short-Form Health Survey4
• State Trait Anxiety Inventory9
• Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology:
Self-Reported8
• Perceived Stress Scale2
Acknowledgements
This research was conducted with support from the Canadian Mental Health Association and with funding provided by Mitacs Inc, and with support
to the primary supervisor from CIHR Foundation Scheme Grant and Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research awards.
OBJECTIVE
• Stress, anxiety and sleep difficulties are reported as the
top three factors affecting academic performance for post-
secondary students in British Columbia.1
• Female students have reported higher levels of stress,
anxiety, and depression than their male counterparts.5,6
METHODS
CONCLUSION
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
• State and trait anxiety, stress, and depression were all positively
correlated (p<0.01).
• 44.3% of students reported mild levels of depressive
symptomatology; 25.8% reported moderate to very severe levels.
• Figure 2 illustrates the disparity between levels of depressive
symptomatology in males and females.
• 61.7% of males and 60.2% of females were above the 1983 STAI
state anxiety mean for college men and women, respectively.
Nearly half of students we sampled at UBCO are
experiencing high levels of stress, with more than 60% of
both males and females above the state anxiety mean for
college students. These findings support the suggestion that
post-secondary student anxiety levels have increased within
the past 30 years. Stress also appears to have a negative
impact on student quality of life as illustrated by the negative
correlation between perceived stress and general health as
well as with emotional wellbeing. Additionally, increased
stress and anxiety were associated with higher rates of
depressive symptomatology. Therefore improving stress or
anxiety management may reduce the prevalence of
depressive symptomatology. Furthermore, the results of this
study support claims that there is a concerning level of
depression prevalent on university campuses.
Further research examining stress, anxiety, and depression
management is necessary on university campuses,
particularly for women. Stress management techniques are
recommended for highly stressed individuals7, yet the stigma
around mental health prevents many from seeking help. Thus,
there is a need for the development of effective forms of
mental health support that are accessible to university
students.
Rebecca A. Lee & Mary E. Jung
University of British Columbia Okanagan
References
1. Canadian Association of College and University Student Services. (2013). British columbia province reference group
executive summary spring 2013. (2013). Hanover, MD: American College Health Association.
2. Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social
Behavior, , 385-396.
3. Cohen, S. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the united states. In S. Spacapan S. Oskamp (Ed.), (pp.
31-67). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications, Inc.
4. Framework, I. C. (1992). The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). Medical Care, 30(6), 473-483.
5. Ibrahim, A. K., Kelly, S. J., Adams, C. E., & Glazebrook, C. (2013). A systematic review of studies of depression prevalence
in university students. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 47(3), 391-400. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.
2012.11.015
6. Misra, R., & McKean, M. (2000). College students' academic stress and its relation to their anxiety, time management, and
leisure satisfaction. American Journal of Health Studies, 16(1), 41.
7. Ramezankhani, A., Gharlipour, Z., Babaei Heydarabadi, A., Tavassoli, E., Motalebi, M., Barekati, H., Gilasi, H., Kermani
Ranjbar, T., Moosavi,S. (2013). Perceived social support, depression, and perceived stress in university students. Journal of
Paramedical Sciences, 4(4)
8. Rush, A. J., Trivedi, M. H., Ibrahim, H. M., Carmody, T. J., Arnow, B., Klein, D. N., . . . Keller, M. B. (2003). The 16-item quick
inventory of depressive symptomatology (QIDS), clinician rating (QIDS-C), and self-report (QIDS-SR): A psychometric
evaluation in patients with chronic major depression. Biological Psychiatry, 54(5), 573-583. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
S0006-3223(02)01866-8
9. Spielberger, C. D. (2010). State‐Trait anxiety inventory Wiley Online Library.
Fig. 1: Student stress levels categorized
according to the Perceived Stress Scale.
Fig. 1: 77.1% of students reported above average levels
of stress, with 43% categorized as “high”, when
compared to general U.S. population scores.3
Fig. 2: Females reported
s i g n i f i c a n t l y m o r e
d e p r e s s i v e
symptomatology then
men (p<0.01), with
females and males
reporting scores of 8.80
and 6.94 respectively on
the Quick Inventory of
D e p r e s s i v e
Symptomatology.
Fig 3.1, fig. 3.2: Perceived stress was negatively correlated with general health and
emotional wellbeing among study participants (p<0.01).
Fig. 3.1: General health in
relation to perceived stress.
Fig. 3.2: Emotional wellbeing
in relation to perceived stress.
Fig. 2: Depressive symptomatology
levels within males and females.
8.806.94