Mental health changes among college students and its relation with perceived social support

Objective To understand mental health changes among college students and its association with perceived social support.Methods Totally 2 301 students from a university in Guangzhou were selected with random cluster sampling and participated in this two-years longitudinal study.University Personality Inventory (UPI) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS)were used.First wave was carried out in 23 Sept.2014,and the second wave in 25 Sept.2016.The valid sample included 2 301 college students.Results UPI scores decreased significantly [(9.18±8.49) in follow-up vs.(10.11±7.87) in baseline,P<0.01].During this two-year interval,the proportion of college students with serious mental health problems increased by 1.0%;the proportion of college students with general mental health problems decreased by 1.7%;the proportion of students with positive mental health increased by 0.7%(P<0.01).The scores of UPI in females were higher than males(P<0.01).The higher level of perceived social support,the lower scores on UPI(F=149.65,P<0.01).Significant main effects were found in baseline UPI score and perceived social support on follow-up UPI score(F=105.025,152.231,P<0.01),as well as interaction effects(F=2.50,P<0.05).Conclusion Mental health among college students shows two dynamic trends.Perceived social support has a consistent regulatory impact on mental health status among college students.