Student Loans and Psychological Distress: A Cross-sectional Study of Young Adults in Japan.
mental health
student health
student loans
Journal
Journal of epidemiology
ISSN: 1349-9092
Titre abrégé: J Epidemiol
Pays: Japan
ID NLM: 9607688
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
05 Oct 2020
05 Oct 2020
Historique:
pubmed:
3
9
2019
medline:
31
3
2021
entrez:
3
9
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Levels of student loan debt have been increasing, but very little research has assessed if this is associated with poor health. The aim was to examine the association between student loans and psychological distress in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional web-based self-administered questionnaire survey in 2017. The sample comprised of 4,149 respondents aged 20-34, with 3,170 graduates and 979 current university students. The independent variables were whether or not current students had student loans, and for graduates, the total amount of their student loan debt. The dependent variable was severe psychological distress assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6; the cut-off point was 12/13). Covariates were demographic and parents' socioeconomic variables. A Poisson regression analysis with a robust error variance was conducted to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Because there was a significant interaction between current student status and the status of borrowing student loans, stratified analyses were conducted. The percentage of those with student loans was 33.8% among graduates and 35.2% among current university students. Among graduates, student loan debt was significantly associated with a high possibility of having severe psychological distress after adjusting for covariates (PR of ≥4 million yen, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02-2.03). Among current university students, there was no significant association (PR of borrowing student loans, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.60-1.37). There was a significant association between student loan debt and psychological distress among graduates but not current university students.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Levels of student loan debt have been increasing, but very little research has assessed if this is associated with poor health. The aim was to examine the association between student loans and psychological distress in Japan.
METHODS
METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional web-based self-administered questionnaire survey in 2017. The sample comprised of 4,149 respondents aged 20-34, with 3,170 graduates and 979 current university students. The independent variables were whether or not current students had student loans, and for graduates, the total amount of their student loan debt. The dependent variable was severe psychological distress assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6; the cut-off point was 12/13). Covariates were demographic and parents' socioeconomic variables. A Poisson regression analysis with a robust error variance was conducted to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Because there was a significant interaction between current student status and the status of borrowing student loans, stratified analyses were conducted.
RESULTS
RESULTS
The percentage of those with student loans was 33.8% among graduates and 35.2% among current university students. Among graduates, student loan debt was significantly associated with a high possibility of having severe psychological distress after adjusting for covariates (PR of ≥4 million yen, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02-2.03). Among current university students, there was no significant association (PR of borrowing student loans, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.60-1.37).
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
There was a significant association between student loan debt and psychological distress among graduates but not current university students.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31474676
doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20190057
pmc: PMC7492703
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
436-441Références
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