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. 2021 Jun 13;18(12):6403.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126403.

Self-Rated Health and Psychological Distress among Emerging Adults in Italy: A Comparison between Data on University Students, Young Workers and Working Students Collected through the 2005 and 2013 National Health Surveys

Isabella Giulia Franzoi  1 , Fabrizio D'Ovidio  2 , Giuseppe Costa  3 , Angelo d'Errico  4 , Antonella Granieri  1
Affiliations

Self-Rated Health and Psychological Distress among Emerging Adults in Italy: A Comparison between Data on University Students, Young Workers and Working Students Collected through the 2005 and 2013 National Health Surveys

Isabella Giulia Franzoi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed at comparing self-reported physical health and mental health among university students, workers, and working students aged between 19 years and 29 years.

Method: Using data from National Health Surveys held in 2005 and 2013, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 18,612 Italian emerging adults grouped into three groups: university students, workers, and working students. The odds ratios of self-reported anxiety or depression, poor general health, and poor mental health and physical health (as assessed through SF-12) were estimated through logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders.

Results: Compared with workers, students showed an increased risk of anxiety or depression and a lower risk of poor general health. Students and working students showed an increased risk of reporting weak mental health compared with that in workers, while students displayed a lower risk of poor physical health. Significant differences were not found between the 2005 and 2013 surveys.

Conclusions: These results are of considerable importance for psychologists as well as educational and occupation-based institutions for planning prevention programs and clinical interventions.

Keywords: distress; emerging adulthood; health; university students; young workers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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