Psychological distress among students at the University of Science and Education - the University of Da Nang

Abstract

Distress is a natural human response to life events and incidents. Recent studies have shown that the rate of psychological distress among students is higher than that of the general population (Mboya et al., 2020; Granieri, 2021). Therefore, this study examined the level of psychological distress in 583 students of the University of Science and Education - University of Da Nang, using the Psychological Distress Scale developed by Kessler et al. (2002). The results showed that the level of psychological distress of students ranged from normal (17.3%), mild (20.1%), moderate (30.5%) to severe (32.1%), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the level of psychological distress among students from a demographic perspective. In particular, the average score of the psychological distress scale in female students and students aged 18-20 is higher (p < 0.05). These findings provide further evidence of the level of psychological distress, which is the basis for management levels and educational forces to have measures to support mental health for students at the University of Science and Education - The University of Da Nang.