Prevalence and risk factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms and functional constipation among university students in Eastern China

作者：Bochen Jiang, Jing Zhang, Man Yang, Haidong Yang, Xiaobin Zhang · 发表于：World Journal of Psychiatry · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.106451 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Gastrointestinal motility and disorders、Menstrual Health and Disorders、Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies

BACKGROUND Depression and anxiety are prevalent among university students worldwide, often coexisting with functional constipation (FC). Family relationships have been identified as crucial factors affecting mental health, yet the gender-specific associations between these conditions remain underexplored. AIM To assess prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and FC among Chinese university students and explore their associations. METHODS Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 12721 students at two universities in Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, and FC using the ROME IV. Gender-stratified analyses and population attributable risk proportions were calculated to evaluate risk factor patterns and population impact. RESULTS The prevalence of self-reported depressive, anxiety, and comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms was 16.3%, 24.9%, and 13.3%, respectively, whereas that of FC was 22%. Students with depressive symptoms were 1.811 times more likely to have FC than those without. Female gender, parental relationships, and lower household income were significant risk factors for both mental health conditions. For depressive symptoms, females experienced stronger effects from both parental conflict [odds ratio (OR) = 8.006 vs OR = 7.661 in males] and FC (OR = 1.954 vs OR = 1.628 in males). For anx...