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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 7661

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefania Cataudella

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Guest Editor

Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: family relations; psychopathological disorders; emotion regulation; child and adolescent development; teaching; learning processes; learning disabilities

Dr. Maria Lidia Mascia

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Guest Editor

Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: cognitive processes; metacognition; emotional intelligence; self-regulation; learning processes; e-learning; new technologies; cyberbullying; smartphone addiction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Youth mental health is an important area of scholarly, practice, and policy focus and is a growing concern in the school environment. Therefore, epidemiological investigations and research on preventive and early interventions are vital.

The quality of the environment where children mature is extremely important. Early negative experiences in homes, schools or digital spaces (e.g., exposure to violence, bullying, and poverty) increase the risk of mental illness. For children and adolescents with symptoms of mental disorders, the earlier the treatment is started, the more effective it can be. Students at any grade level can manifest problems and require support. Students with mental disorders struggle to fit into the school environment if their needs are unmet, and educators play a crucial role in the early identification of these needs.

Many variables must be monitored as precursors of students’ education and mental health. Multiple studies have evaluated the effects of school-based intervention programs.

This Special Issue highlights the importance of improving and continuing research in this field and, above all, creating effective interventions and acting preventively to help students to maintain good mental health.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the links between education and mental health. Original research papers, reviews, editorials, and brief reports are welcome to this issue.

Dr. Stefania Cataudella
Dr. Maria Lidia Mascia
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

students
education
mental health
mental disorders
well-being
school environment
intervention program

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 687 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Psychological Disorders and Coping among Undergraduate College Students: Advocating for Students’ Counselling Services at Kuwait University

by Naser M. Alotaibi, Moh A. Alkhamis, Mashael Alrasheedi, Khuloud Alotaibi, Latifa Alduaij, Fatemah Alazemi, Danah Alfaraj and Danah Alrowaili

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(3), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21030245 - 21 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1497

Abstract

Objectives: The objectives of the current study are twofold. First, it aimed to explore the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (i.e., psychological disorders) among Kuwait University students. Second, it sought to identify and quantify the associated risk factors as well as the students’ coping strategies utilized to address these psychological disorders. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study at Kuwait University and selected students using a multistage stratified cluster sampling design among the 15 faculties of Kuwait University. To serve the study purposes, two cross-cultural and validated instruments were used, including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) and the Brief-COPE scale. Descriptive statistics, as well as logistic regression analysis, were used to analyze the study findings. Results: A sample of 1142 students from various faculties participated in this study. We found that 681 (59.6%), 791 (69.3%) and 588 (51.5%) of the participants had depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, respectively. The highest coping strategies for stressors and challenges faced were moderate and high emotion-based coping strategies (n = 1063, 93.1%). Students from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences as well as students from the Faculty of Engineering had significantly higher stress levels compared with students from other faculties (p < 0.05). Our results demonstrated that family problems were consistently a significant predictor of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among Kuwait University students (p < 0.05). We further found that students who presented with stress and anxiety symptoms and those who practiced avoidant-focused coping strategies were substantially more likely to experience depression (ORs ≥ 2.7, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings inferred that the majority of Kuwait University students have a remarkably high prevalence of mental health problems, mainly anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms along with inconsistent coping strategies toward the faced challenges during their studies. Therefore, the most important recommendation of the current study is the establishment of counselling centers in all faculties at Kuwait University. In turn, doing so facilitates the integration of wellness programs and the provision of comprehensive educational seminars, specialized training sessions and self-management techniques for Kuwait University students, leading to desired academic outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students’ Education and Mental Health)

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11 pages, 335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

School Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy in Adolescents and Intention to Drop Out of School

by Maria Luisa Pedditzi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010111 - 18 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1635

Abstract

School dropout is a risky behaviour that is a threat to well-being in adolescence. This study aimed to analyse school satisfaction and self-efficacy in school activities in a sample of adolescents attending secondary school in an Italian region at high risk of school dropout. The objective was to investigate whether differences exist among students on the basis of school dropout intention, gender, and career choices. Another aim was to identify, among the students’ satisfaction variables, the main psychosocial predictors of dropout intention. Students (N = 1340) attending secondary schools in Sardinia completed Soresi’s questionnaires on life satisfaction and self-efficacy. The data were analysed with a multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression analysis. The results indicated that students intending to drop out of school scored lower on satisfaction with perceived support and satisfaction with peer and teacher relationships than their peers not at risk of dropping out. The logistic regression analysis showed that the most significant predictors of dropout intention were academic performance, satisfaction with the school experience, satisfaction in the relationships with teachers and with family members, and satisfaction with perceived support (26.9% of model variance). The results of this research thus indicate which areas could be addressed through prevention to improve well-being conditions in education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students’ Education and Mental Health)

15 pages, 373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Food and Alcohol Disturbance in High School Adolescents: Prevalence, Characteristics and Association with Problem Drinking and Eating Disorders

by Federica Pinna, Federico Suprani, Pasquale Paribello, Paola Milia, Lucia Sanna, Mirko Manchia, Graziella Boi, Annadele Pes, Lorena Lai, Valeria Deiana, Silvia Lostia di Santa Sofia, Laura Puddu, Francesca Fatteri, Alice Ghiani, Alice Lai and Bernardo Carpiniello

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010083 - 11 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1385

Abstract

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) is characterized by the association of alcohol use with compensatory behaviors such as restricting calories, physical activity and purging. Despite not being part of the current nosography, research has grown in the past 10 years, mostly on college students’ samples. In this study, we aim to describe the prevalence, characteristics and association of FAD with problem drinking (PD) and eating disorder risk (EDR) in a sample of Italian high school students. Participants were 900 high school students (53.6% males; mean age = 16.22) that were administered standardized questionnaires. Students who screened positive for PD, EDR and both were, respectively, 17.3%, 5.9% and 1.3%. Approximately one out four students reported FAD behaviors, mostly to control weight and by restricting calories, with higher prevalence and severity among those who screened positive for PD. Purging behaviors were rare overall (15.5%), but significantly more frequent in participants who screened positive for both PD and EDR (41.7%). FAD was more strongly associated with alcohol use severity than with ED symptom severity across all subgroups. FAD behaviors appear to be common in the Italian high school population and more strongly associated with PD. Future studies should investigate FAD’s impact on adolescents’ functioning and possible early interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students’ Education and Mental Health)

12 pages, 1160 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Anxiety, Depression and Learning Burnout of Nursing Undergraduates after the COVID-19 Epidemic: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy

by Pingting Zhu, Ting Xu, Huiwen Xu, Qiaoying Ji, Wen Wang, Meiyan Qian and Guanghui Shi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4194; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054194 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2481

Abstract

Background: Although cross-sectional studies on the learning status of nursing undergraduates during the COVID-19 epidemic have surged, few studies have explored the normalization of COVID-19 on students’ learning burnout and mental health. The study was designed to investigate the learning burnout of nursing undergraduates in school under the normalization of the COVID-19 epidemic and explore the hypothesized mediation effect of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between anxiety, depression and learning burnout in Chinese nursing undergraduates. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing undergraduates in the school of nursing of a university in Jiangsu Province, China (n = 227). A general information questionnaire, College Students’ Learning Burnout Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9) were administered. Descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed via SPSS 26.0. Process plug-in (Model 4) was used to test the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy (bootstrap 5000 iterations, α = 0.05). Results: Learning burnout (54.1 ± 0.656) was positively correlated with anxiety (4.6 ± 0.283) and depression (5.3 ± 0.366) (p < 0.01) and was negatively correlated with academic self-efficacy (74.41 ± 0.674) (p < 0.01). Academic self-efficacy plays a mediating role between anxiety and learning burnout (0.395/0.493, 80.12%) and a mediating role between depression and learning burnout (0.332/0.503, 66.00%). Conclusion: Academic self-efficacy has a significant predictive effect on learning burnout. Schools and teachers should strengthen the screening and counselling of students’ psychological problems, detect learning burnout caused by emotional problems in advance and improve students’ initiative and enthusiasm for learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students’ Education and Mental Health)

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