Data Collection ; Humans ; Internet ; Sexual Behavior ; psychology ; Social Problems ; Students ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUNDThe first year of attending university induces a stressful experience for many college students. The experience exposes these students to challenging circumstances and raises expectations, which consequently increases the risk of psychiatric disorders and may exacerbate pre-existing problems. This study was designed to explore the risk factors of psychological symptoms among freshmen in China.

METHODSA three-year follow-up study was designed in a sample of Chinese college freshmen. To set up the baseline interviews, subjects from 25 high schools in Beijing were interviewed during the first year in high school. Three years later, we followed up with the 1547 students from 15 of the previously-selected 25 high schools after they had entered universities. Association between potential risk factors and the occurrence of psychological symptoms measured by the Symptoms Check List-90 was evaluated in unconditional logistic regression models with Wald test.

RESULTSAmong the 1547 interviewed college freshmen in the study, 120 students (7.8%) manifested at least one psychological symptom. Personality dysfunction (OR = 3.655, 95% CI 1.967-6.793), parental rejection (OR = 2.619, 95% CI 1.544-4.442), age ≥ 20 (OR = 2.578, 95% CI 1.227-5.418), disfavored university (OR = 2.054, 95% CI 1.376-3.066), non-first-choice academic major (OR = 1.887, 95% CI 1.255-2.837) and no orientation (OR = 1.739, 95% CI 1.025-2.951) were determined to be the risk factors of psychological symptoms among the college freshmen in China.

CONCLUSIONSPsychological symptoms of college freshmen are associated with personality traits, parental rearing behavior and study environment. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to changes in mental health as students enter or decide on colleges and increase education geared towards mental health issues for students in high school and universities in China.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Students ; psychology ; Universities ; statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the attitudes on suicide and their related factors among university students in Chongqing.

METHODSA total of 9808 students from 11 universities in Chongqing, were chosen under stratified cluster random sampling method and had completed a questionnaire survey through the Scale of Public Attitudes on Suicide(SPAS).

RESULTSData showed that the scores of university students having negative or neutral attitudes towards questions including "suicide is not preventable", "suicidal behavior is not controllable or is caused by outside forces" and "suicidal behavior can(or is used to)affect the behavior of others'" were 34.28±16.44, 35.64±19.14 and 36.94±16.05 respectively. The scores of students taking neutral attitude towards questions as:"similarity of attempted and completed suicide", "negative attitudes on the behavior or on the person him/her self", "positive aspects of suicide and positive feelings about suicides"were 47.38±22.01, 51.78±17.05 and 37.77±18.12 respectively but 70.77±17.21 went to the students who had agreed with "suicide is an important social/health problem". Factors as gender, nationality, religion, history of attempted suicide and suicide exposure to others appeared having had important effects on the attitude towards suicide among college students.

CONCLUSIONIt is necessary to consider above mentioned factors when developing related suicide crisis intervention strategy.

Adult ; Attitude ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Students ; psychology ; Suicide ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities

OBJECTIVETo identify the epidemical characteristics of suicidal tendency among middle-school students in cities of China and to explore the main factors leading to suicidal tendency in adolescents.

METHODSMulti-stage cluster sampling method was used to select 9015 students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively from 25 general middle schools in Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Urumqi of China in June 2006 and field investigation was carried out through "China Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) Questionnaire".

RESULTSAmong the students in the four cities, the incidence rates of suicidal ideation were from 14.4% to 20.8% with an average of 17.4%. The incidence rates of suicidal plan were from 6.8% to 9.7% with an average of 8.2% and were different among cities. 15.0% of the boys had suicidal ideation and 6.7% of them made a suicidal plan comparing to 19.7% of girls having had suicidal ideation and 9.5% of them made a suicidal plan. The two kinds of suicidal tendency in girls were all higher than those in boys. City, age, gender, grade, days and type of being bullied, depression, close friends and having received health education on coping with stresses were factors influencing suicidal tendency of students. Days of being bullied and suicidal tendency showed a dose-response relation.

CONCLUSIONSuicidal tendency seemed common in middle-school students. Training on 'coping the issue' should be strengthened and harmonious environment should be improved in middle-schools.

Adolescent ; China ; epidemiology ; Data Collection ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Students ; psychology ; Suicide ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVETo understand the prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation among college students and to provide a scientific basis for promoting psychological health and suicide prevention.

METHODS623 college students at Central South University were selected using stratified cluster sampling and administered a suicide ideation questionnaire, a Symptom Check List (SCL-90), an Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Check List (ASLEC), a Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and a questionnaire about background information. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify risk factors for suicide ideation.

RESULTSOne year prior to our investigation, 14.6% of respondents had suicide ideation, 2.5% had made a specific suicide plan, and 1.8% had made a suicide attempt. The main risk factors for suicide ideation were dissatisfaction with the selected major of study, limited social support, recent negative life events and depressive tendency.

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of suicide ideation among these college students was high. Appropriate measures focusing on the risk factors identified in this study should be urgently developed to prevent suicides in college students.

China ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Students ; psychology ; Suicide, Attempted ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of childhood physical and emotional abuse on psychological health in undergraduate students.

METHODSA questionnaire investigation (Bernstein, revised) on childhood abuse history was performed in 1 200 undergraduate students in Xi'an. Their psychological states were assessed by Symptom Check List-90.

RESULTSSix hundred and sixty-eight students (55.7%) had physical and emotional abuse experiences, including humiliation, corporal punishment, beating or activity confinement, before 16 years old. Twenty-one percent of the 1 200 students experienced beating, even serious beating with equipment. The students who experienced serious physical and emotional abuse during childhood were more prone to the development of somatization symptoms, obsession, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety and paranoia than those students without abuse experiences.

CONCLUSIONSChildhood physical and emotional abuse is common in China and this may adversely affect the psychological health of undergraduate students who have experienced it.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child Abuse ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mental Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Students ; psychology ; Universities

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between distorted weight perception and suicide ideation among normal weight adolescents in Guangdong province.

METHODSThis study used the data of Guangdong Provincial Youth Health Risk Behavior Survey in 2004 and 2007. To identify the association between distorted weight perception and suicide ideation, a logistic regression analysis was performed. The effects of age, economic status, mother's education, mental health, and depression were also adjusted.

RESULTSA total of 12 729 people participated in this study, 6096 males and 6633 females. The prevalence of suicide ideation among normal weight adolescents was 13.58% (1729/12 729) in the past 12 months, with higher prevalence in girls (16.15%, 1071/6633) than that in boys (10.79%, 658/6096) (χ(2) = 77.71, P = 0.00). It was common that the adolescents misperceived their weight. Only 44.93% (5719/12 729) of normal weight students correctly perceived their body weight while 43.52% (5540/12 729) of them overestimated their weight and 11.43% (1455/12 729) underestimated their weight. The distorted weight perception in girls (65.58%, 4350/6633) was higher than that in boys (43.39%, 2645/6096) (χ(2) = 993.91, P = 0.00). Distorted weight perception was significantly associated with suicide ideation after controlling for factors age, economic status, mother's education, mental health, and depression. The students who overestimate their body weight were more likely to have suicide ideation than that who correctly perceived their weight (OR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.27 - 1.61).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of distorted weight perception was high and it significantly associated with suicide ideation.

Adolescent ; Body Weight ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Self Concept ; Students ; psychology ; Suicide, Attempted ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo explore the features of violence among primary and secondary school students in Hefei, and to set up intervention measures for violence prevention.

METHODSFour schools in Hefei were randomly sampled in the study. A total of 3064 students completed a questionnaire.

RESULTS16.22% of the pupils reported having suffered from violence at least once every month. The rate was higher in boys than that in girls's (chi(2) = 25.13, P = 0.000). The major assaulters were from classmates (45.80%), with hand beating (37.42%), insulting (31.21%), threatening (20.88%), and 10.49% using sticks and sharp weapons. Most violence occurred at school (46.08%), followed by at home (28.41%) and outside of schools (25.51%), with significant difference (P = 0.000). As a result, 3.33% ended up with fractures, and 0.51% with disability. 97 pupils reported having assaulted others frequently (3.21%). Being irritated (47.38%) was the major reason for the violence to occur.

CONCLUSIONViolence among primary and secondary school students in Hefei city was serious that called for targeted education be strengthened and school environment be improved.

Age Factors ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Data Collection ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Schools ; statistics & numerical data ; Sex Factors ; Students ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Violence ; statistics & numerical data

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in the perception of the "good doctor" image between faculty and students, based on the competencies of the "Korean doctor's role." METHODS: The study sample comprised 418 students and 49 faculty members in medical school. They were asked to draw images of a "good doctor," and the competencies were then analyzed using the Draw-A-Scientist test and the social network program Netminer 4.0. RESULTS: Of the competency areas, "communication and collaboration with patient" and "medical knowledge and clinical skills" were the most frequently expressed, and "education and research," "professionalism," and "social accountability" were less commonly expressed. Images of a good doctor by the faculty focused on competencies that were directly related to current clinical doctors. Conversely, those by the students expressed various competencies equally. CONCLUSION: We have provided basic data for faculties and schools to plan various education strategies to help students establish the image of a good doctor and develop the necessary competencies as physicians.
Clinical Competence/*standards ; Data Mining ; Faculty/*psychology ; Humans ; *Perception ; Physician's Role/*psychology ; Republic of Korea ; Schools, Medical ; Statistics as Topic ; Students, Medical/*psychology

BACKGROUND: Suicidal behaviors are seriously social issues among adolescents in the world. Exposed to smoking and being bullied are risk factors of suicidal behaviors. The present study was aimed to examine the interaction of smoking and being bullied on suicidal behaviors among Chinese adolescents. METHODS: A total of 18,900 students were involved in the questionnaire study, in four cities of China from November 2017 to January 2018. Suicidal behaviors, smoking, and being bullied were measured by self-reported validated instruments. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the associations of suicidal ideation (SI)/suicidal plan (SP)/suicidal attempt (SA), smoking, and being bullied. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking, being bullied, SI/SP/SA, were 3.1%, 20.6%, 26.4%, 13.2%, and 5.2% respectively. Interaction analysis indicated that being bullied was associated with a greater increase in the likelihood of suicidal behaviors for adolescents with smoking than for those without smoking. CONCLUSIONS These finding suggest that smoking exacerbates the association between being bullied and suicidal behaviors. Future research should explore how and why smoking appears to more bully-victims than for those without smoking and how to mitigate it.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior/psychology* ; Bullying/psychology* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Smoking/psychology* ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Suicidal Ideation