Introduction
According to research, the difficult living on
campus, as well as a failure to adapt and adjust to
university life, can have an impact on self-efficacy
and sleep patterns [1]. Students may experience
stress as a result of family and job expectations,
which can have an impact on their social, emotional,
and physical health [2,3]. Stress can be caused by
a variety of circumstances; nevertheless, severe
stress can affect an individual’s lifestyle. There is
a circular relationship between stress and sleep,
especially when someone is stressed, whether
due to financial concerns, health problems, or
relationships, making it more difficult for the
person to sleep [4].
Iraq is emerging from decades of war, which
were followed by protracted periods of violence
and insecurity. Despite great obstacles, the Iraqi
national health system, which is largely represented
by the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MOH), is
operational and has made good progress in terms
of service provision. The MOH made significant
efforts to provide health services, including efforts
to treat patients who could not be treated in Iraq
outside of Iraq [5].
Iraqi people’s mental health, already strained by
years of war, has been exacerbated by the recent
impact of COVID-19 and the country’s current
economic position. Before and after COVID-19,
the causes of mental health problems differed.
People experienced psychological distress as a
result of property destruction or loss, as well as
family members being arrested, incarcerated, or
forced abducted. These concerns, which included
depression, domestic abuse, epilepsy, and
psychosomatic ailments, resulted in long-term
misery [6].
Anxiety and sadness are currently the most
common mental health problems in our society.
Anxiety levels increased from 45%-68% during
this time period, while depression increased from
10%-20%. This is a dangerous sign because these
mental health disorders frequently progress to
more serious psychological distress [7].
The university time, which is recognized to be a
dynamic transition period that works as a bridge
between childhood and adulthood, is one of the
most essential stages in adolescence. Young
individuals increasingly gain responsibility for
their own health during this period of physical,
psychological, social, and sexual development [8].
Considering all the above, the following research
questions were proposed: Are physical and mental
health related to socio-demographic data of
undergraduate students from Baghdad? What is the
level of physical and mental health for students?
In order to answer these research questions, this
study aims to analyze the relationships between
physical and mental health and socio-demographic
data, and assessing the level of physical and
mental health (low, medium, or high) in university
students in Iraq, Baghdad.
Materials and Methods
Study design
A descriptive design was used to study in the
period of 21st November (2022) to 1st May (2023).
Setting of the study
The study was conducted among university
students in Baghdad city. Six universities in
Baghdad are (Al-Bayan University, Al-Farahidi
University, Mashreq University, Baghdad
University, University of Technology, and
American University of Baghdad).
Participants
A purposive (non-probability) sample consisting
of 401 male and female university students from six universities in Baghdad. The included
participant are all students accept to fill the study
instrument.
Variables of the study
The dependent variables are the physical and mental
health status, while the independent variables are
the socio-demographic characteristics.
Data analysis
Data are analyzed through the use of Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version (23)
application Statistical analysis system and excel
application. The researcher uses multiple testes to
analyze the data: frequency and percentage, mean
and correlation.
Bias
A non-probability sample is selected based on nonrandom
criteria. For instance, in a convenience
sample, participants are selected based on
accessibility and availability. Non-probability
sampling often results in biased samples because
some members of the population are more likely
to be included than others.
Study instrument
To achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire
was composed of two sections: Part I: Include
general information about students such as
Personal Information, (gender, the age, study type,
the name of the college department or academic
major, class of study, marital status, educational
level), part II, represents the the mental health axis
like the stress that students get when they have an
exam, feeling nervous and getting heart racing,
getting headaches and feeling panic, maybe they
feel lonely and hopeless maybe even thinking
about ending their life, sleep disturbance and poor
appetite all of that are a mental health issue that we
talk about in our research to help us understand the
students and help them get a better mental health
care [9].
Ethical compliance
This research funds by the researcher, while it
considered as single independent research. The
approval from the study sample themselves to
collect the data. The name of the participants did
not use in the questioner to save the privacy of
them.
Results
Table 1 shows that the majority of the studied
sample were female (64.3%), while they are
from a private university (62.1%) and the greater
number of them single (89%) of the study sample.
Table 1. Student’s demographic variables.
| Variables |
Characteristics |
N |
% |
|
Gender |
Male |
143 |
35.7 |
| Female |
258 |
64.3 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
|
Age |
18-21 |
156 |
38.9 |
| 22-27 |
241 |
60.1 |
| 28-35 |
4 |
1 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
|
Type of university |
Governmental |
152 |
37.9 |
| Privet |
249 |
62.1 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
|
Marital status |
Single |
358 |
89.3 |
| Married |
40 |
10 |
| Divorced |
1 |
0.2 |
| Widow |
2 |
0.5 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
|
Class for student |
First |
57 |
14.2 |
| Second |
63 |
15.7 |
| Third |
169 |
42.1 |
| Fourth |
111 |
27.7 |
| Fifth |
1 |
0.2 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
| Note: N=frequency; %=percentage. |
Table 2 shows that the majority of sample has
psychological problems need treatment.
Table 2. Physical and psychological health among students.
| |
Characteristics |
N |
% |
|
Physical and Psychological problems |
Probable psychiatric case |
49 |
12.2 |
| Psychiatric case needs to treatment |
352 |
87.8 |
| Total |
401 |
100 |
| Note: N=frequency; %=percentage; Mean of score (probable psychiatric case ≤ 1.55, psychiatric case needs to treatment ≥ 1.75). |
|
Table 3 shows there are a significant relationship
between Students Physical and Psychological
Health and (Gender, Age, Type of study and
marital status).
Table 3. Relationship between student’s healthy lifestyle behaviours and physical and psychological health.
| Psychological and physical health |
| Variables |
Pearson correlation |
Sig (2-tailed) |
| Gender |
0.150** |
0.003 |
| Age |
-0.134** |
0.007 |
| Type of University |
-0.101* |
0.044 |
| Marital status |
-0.102* |
0.042 |
| Class |
-0.01 |
0.846 |
| Note: **=Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed); *=Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). |
Discussion
The current study intended to determine the
relationship between physical and mental health
among Baghdad college students. According
to the study’s findings, men students identified
themselves as more physically active than female
students. This discovery is similar to the findings
of prior studies among university students, which
revealed a similar pattern: Male students engage in
more physical activity than female students [10].
The current study was conducted in Baghdad,
Iraq, to look at the effect of cosmetics on selfperception.
According to the current study
findings, the majority of students are female and
unmarried. The study sample ranged in age from
22 to 27 years. Widyasari and Turnip found the
same thing after studying 366 female and 250
male students [11].
According to the present survey’s findings, more
than half of students from prestigious universities
study in the third and fourth grades. Jianjian et al.,
discovered that the average value of lower grades
is 3.671, whereas the average value of upper
grades is 3.611 [12]. Lower grade college students
participate in physical exercise at a higher rate
than higher grade college students (T=-2.224,
P=0.026).
According to the current study’s findings,
students’ physical and mental health is poor, and
they require treatment. According to Rodrguez-
Romo et al., there is a high prevalence of mental
health disorders among students, as well as
a high percentage of physical inactivity [13].
The association between physical activity and
mental health varies depending on the intensity
of physical activity and the domain in which it
is performed. College students do not priorities
physical activity. The weekly average for physical
activity is 1.64. The average number of college
students who exercise is 2-3 times a week. The
general level of passion for physical activity is
low, and the number of activities each week is low.
Negative emotions have a comparatively high
proportion. The proportions of having unpleasant
emotions “always”, “often”, and “occasionally”
are all greater than the national average. If such
students are subjected to negative emotions for an
extended period of time without proper adjustment
and assistance, their body and mind will suffer.
A considerable proportion of undergraduate
students suffer from some form of mental disease,
with females far outnumbering males. In addition,
Qureshi et al., discovered that a substantial number
of undergraduate students (42.6%) in a sample of
Pakistani students exhibited mild depression [14].
Similarly, in research of undergraduate students
from Turkey, Uner et al., discovered that 56.8%
of students had a GHQ12 score of 4. According
to the findings of this study, the most stressful
situations were not being able to pursue the career
or university of their choice, losing a family
member, or breaking up with their partner [15].
The third table shows the relationship between
physical and mental health status and sociodemographic
characteristics. Physical and mental
health have a significant relationship with (Age,
p=0.007), (Gender, p=0.003), (Type of university,
p=0.044), and (Marital status, p=0.042). In the
largest cross-sectional sample to date, individuals
who exercised had about 15 (about 43%) fewer
days of poor mental health in the previous month
than individuals who did not exercise, but were
otherwise similar in terms of age, race, gender,
marital status, income, employment status,
education level, BMI category, self-reported
physical health, and previous diagnosis of
depression [16].
Conclusion
Finally, college students have good physical and
mental health, with a strong sense of physical
health and physical exercise, less psychological
anguish, and a strong ability to withstand pressure
and mental adjustment. In terms of physical
health, college students are in good shape and place a high value on physical activity. In terms of
mental health, college students experience fewer
unpleasant feelings, have a greater ability to resist
pressure, and can moderately modify their mood.
However, we should increase college students’
physical and mental health education, pay attention
to different groups of college students’ physical
and mental health education, and expand college
students’ physical and mental health education
methods.
Acknowledgements
We express our gratitude to all deans and teachers
in universities who assisted in the collection of data
with love and comfortable. We show appreciation
to all students who participated with us in this
research by collecting the data (Ola Ahmed
Rasheed, Saif Muslem Akeel, Ali Qasim Jawad,
Teba Hassan Hadi, Abdulwahab Hamza Khalifa,
Ethical Compliance) and full the questionnaires
with love.
This research funds by the researchers, while
it considered as single independent research.
The approval from the managers departments
in universities and students themselves taken to
collect the data. The name of the students did not
use in the questioner to save the privacy of them.
References
- Klassen RM, Durksen TL. Weekly self-efficacy and work stress during the teaching practicum: A mixed methods study. Learning and Instruction. 2014;33:158-169.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Franco M, Hsiao YS, Gnilka PB, Ashby JS. Acculturative stress, social support, and career outcome expectations among international students. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance. 2019;19:275-291.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Wang D, Xing XH, Wu XB. Healthy lifestyles of university students in China and influential factors. The Scientific World Journal. 2013.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
- Bao Z, Chen C, Zhang W, Zhu J, Jiang Y, et al. Family economic hardship and Chinese adolescents' sleep quality: A moderated mediation model involving perceived economic discrimination and coping strategy. Journal of Adolescence. 2016;50:81-90.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
- Saleh AH, Aamir Jalal AM. Iraq health care system: An overview. 2009:5-13.
[Google Scholar]
- UK Home Office. Country Policy and Information Note Iraq: Medical and healthcare provision. 2021.
- World Health Organization (WHO). Mental disorders. 2022.
- Lee RL, Loke AJ. Health‐promoting behaviors and psychosocial well‐being of university students in Hong Kong. Public Health Nursing. 2005;22(3):209-220.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
- Bris TL. The Hopkins symptoms checklist in 25 items: Translations in Castilian, Galician, Catalan, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Bulgarian and Croatian synthesis. Life Sciences. 2017;8:55.
[Google Scholar]
- Varela-Mato V, Cancela JM, Ayan C, Martín V, Molina A. Lifestyle and health among Spanish university students: differences by gender and academic discipline. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2012;9(8):2728-2741.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
- Widyasari DC, Turnip SS. Does healthy lifestyle contribute to physical and mental health among University students? Makara Journal of Health Research. 2019;23(3):5.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Wang J, Shen G, Wang Z. Investigation on the physical and mental health of college students based on statistics. InE3S Web of Conferences 2021;275:03044.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Rodríguez-Romo G, Acebes-Sánchez J, García-Merino S, Garrido-Muñoz M, Blanco-García C, et al. Physical activity and mental health in undergraduate students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;20(1):195.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
- Qureshi S, Riaz H, Awan MM, Khushnood K, Hussain R. Association of depression, physical activity levels and general psychological health among physical therapy students of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Journal of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University. 2019;2(1):26-30.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Üner S, Özcebe H, Telatar TG, Tezcan S. Assessment of mental health of university students with GHQ-12. Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences. 2008;38(5):437-446.
[Crossref][Google Scholar]
- Chekroud SR, Gueorguieva R, Zheutlin AB, Paulus M, Krumholz HM, et al. Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1.2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2018;5(9):739-746.
[Crossref][Google Scholar][PubMed]
Citation: Physcical and Mental Health Status among University Students in Baghdad. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 24 (10) October, 2023; 1-5.
+44 1752 712024
