Student Psychological Distress: A psychometric study of 1750 Norwegian 1st‐year undergraduate students

Abstract

Evidence which suggests that university and college students are more vulnerable to psychological distress than the general population has generated increasing public concern. This study presents psychometric data on Norwegian undergraduate students' psychological distress (N = 1750). Psychological distress was assessed by applying the 12‐item version of the General Health Questionnaire. Twenty‐one percent of the students reported symptoms indicating clinically significant psychological distress. Demographic variables such as gender, marital status, being born in or outside Norway, and father's educational level were significantly associated with the degree of distress, but the associations were not strong. The findings indicated that the Norwegian students reported less psychological distress than students in other western countries reported in comparable studies.