Mental distress among young adults – gender differences in the role of social support

Abstract

Background The aim of the present study was to examine to what extent observed gender differences in mental health are associated with the protective factors social support, sense of coherence and participation in regular physical activity and more generally, engagement in organized or unorganized activity with other people. Methods This study was based upon a cross-sectional regional health survey in Norway, conducted during the winter of 2015–2016, in three southern counties; Aust-Agder, Vest-Agder and Vestfold. The study focused on young adults, comparing three age groups; 18–24 years old (n = 624), 25–31 (n = 582), and 32–38 years old (n = 795). Results Sense of coherence was strongly associated with low mental distress in all age groups and for both genders, while the association between low social support and mental distress was significant for young women only. Regular physical activity was not positively associated with low mental distress when sense of coherence and social support were included in the analysis. Conclusion Social support appears to have a stronger role as a protective factor for mental distress among young women, compared to young men and older persons. This has implications for health promoting activities that target young women. Sense of coherence showed a strong association with low mental distress scores for all ages studied.

Mental Distress among Medical Students in Khartoum, Sudan 2022

“…This finding is consistent with other studies in Sudan, Canada, Indonesia, and Ethiopia [4] [8] [13] [14]. Studies in the general population found that young women aged 18 -24 years old have a higher prevalence of mental distress as compared to men in their age group [19]. The variation could be due to gender differences in experiencing and expressing mental health problems.…”

“…Men experience more externalized disorders such as substance abuse and dependence [20]. The gender difference in the prevalence of mental distress could also be due to physiological or social factors related to the different roles of men and women in society [19]. Genders also differ in the degree of their response to mental health interventions.…”

A study of socio-economic inequalities in self-reported oral and general health in South-East Norway

“…First, we had adequate power to draw statistical inference from our study findings. Second, the sample was randomly drawn from the municipalities of three large counties, representing a large proportion of the Norwegian population 30 , 31 . Third, the data on education and personal income were obtained from the national population-based registers of Statistics Norway, which largely reduces the possibility of information bias and ensures available data for the large majority of participants.…”

“…The sample was proportional to the population in each region within the three counties. The overall response rate was 42.7% (9692 respondents) 30 , 31 . Information from the population registry (municipality, age, and sex) was delivered along with the questionnaire data.…”

“…From November 2015 to February 2016, a cross-sectional health interview survey was carried out in the 44 municipalities (clustered into 11 regions) of Vestfold, Aust-Agder, and Vest-Agder counties in Norway. As the main purpose of the survey was to support public health work at the local level, efforts were made to obtain a relatively large selection in each municipality, providing useful information at the administration level 30 , 31 . Around one-tenth of the Norwegian population live in the selected areas, and the population from which our sample was randomly selected was near the national average regarding education, individual income and age distribution.…”