Anxiety, Anxiety Depression (Mild or Not Persistent), Emotional Stress, Health Behavior, Life Stress, Observational Study, Psychological Stress, Social Isolation or Loneliness, Stress, Emotional, Stress, Psychological, Stress (Psychology), Substance Abuse, Substance Addiction, Substance Dependence, Substance Use
Conditions
Keywords
Healthy students, Health literacy, Disability, Age, Gender, Study characteristics, PHQ-4, Self-efficacy, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Subjective health status, Student satisfaction, UCLA-LS, HEI-Stress, Mixed Method
Brief summary
The aim of Health Surveillance is to analyze and describe the state of health of students at Constructor University, key influencing factors and individual resources by using mixed-method design.
Detailed description
The aim of Health Surveillance plus the additional research by means of qualitative interviews is to analyze and describe the state of stress and health of students at Constructor University (CU) by using a mixed-methods approach, as well as explore the association and mechanism between stress and health of students at CU, key influencing factors and individual resources. In areas where there is a need for action, the Health Surveillance plus this project the additional qualitative interviews can provide detailed insights and/or in-depth analyses. The Health Surveillance thus provides information on health-related topics and delivers scientifically sound information as a basis for health-promoting discussions in the subsequent follow-up process at various levels (e.g. faculties and departments). In addition, the Health Surveillance plus the additional interviews at CU contributes to comparability with surveys at other German universities through the use of validated and standardized measuring instruments and in-depth qualitative interviews with qualitative content analysis, as well as to add new constructs i.e. artificial intelligence and digital technology use as well as demo-cratic competences, as this turned out to be new and important factors. Main hypotheses are 1. The Health Surveillance gives insights into state of stress and health of students at CU, key influencing factors and individual resources by using a mixed-methods approach. 2. With the Health Surveillance the health-promotion at CU by using a mixed-methods approach, as well as explore the association and mechanism between stress and health of students at CU, can be guided and promotion of mental health (including the reduction of loneliness and discrimination) can be strengthened. 3. The health of students, their perceived stress, loneliness and discrimination/minorization (disadvantage) as well as substance use interrelates with participation in health promoting activities? 4. Recommendations can be derived for qualification and skills training of multipliers for health-promoting behavior (e.g., J-peers)?
Interventions
Questionnaires and interviews were primarily used as assessment and introspection tools to collect data on study participants' experiences, perceptions, and behaviors. Their purpose was to facilitate measurement and reflection rather than to deliver an intervention. However, it is acknowledged that participation in questionnaires and interviews may have had unintended interventional effects. Specifically, the process of answering questions and reflecting on personal experiences can increase participants' self-awareness, prompt critical reflection, and potentially influence subsequent attitudes or behaviors.
Sponsors
Study design
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
* English language skills * Reading and writing skills * Internet access * Student status * Consent to participate in the study
Exclusion criteria
* Illiteracy * Massively limited cognitive abilities ( i.e. linguistic components of the digital offerings must be able to be used, and questionnaires completed, or interviews participated in) and severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., severe depression)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | University of California Los Angelese Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS) - 3 Items (Schobin, Arriagada \& Gibson-Kunze, 2024), Range 1 (never/nie) - 5 (very often/sehr oft), higher scores mean a worse outcome Loneliness in private and study context - 9 Items (Techniker Krankenkasse, 2024), Range 1 (often) - 4 (never), higher scores mean better outcomes |
| Health literacy | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | Health literacy - 10 Items (Lenartz, Söllner \& Rudinger, 2014), Range 1 (does not apply/trifft überhaupt nicht zu) - 4 (does fully apply/trifft genau zu), higher scores mean a better outcome |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Depression and anxiety | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) - 4 Items (Kroenke, Spitzer, Williams \& Löwe, 2009), Range 0 (not at all/überhaupt nicht) - 3 (nearly every day/beinahe jeden Tag), higher scores mean worse outcome |
| Subjective health status | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | Subjective health status- 1 Item (WHO, 1996); Range 1 (very good/sehr gut) - 5 (very poor/schlecht), higher score means worse outcome |
| Student satisfaction | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | Student satisfaction - 1 Item (Westermann, Heise, Spies \& Trautwein, 1996), Range 0 (not at all satisfied/gar nicht zufrieden) - 100 (completely satisfied/vollkommen zufrieden), higher scores mean better outcome |
| HEI-Stress | 2025 and 2026 (no matching) | Higher Education Institution Stress (HEI-Stress) - 3 Items (Schmidt, Sieverding, Scheiter \& Obergfell, 2013), Range 0 (not at all stressed/gar nicht gestresst) - 100 (very stressed/sehr gestresst), higher scores mean worse outcome |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Constructor University Bremen gGmbH & Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Germany