Objective: The mental health of tertiary education students is an area of increasing concern worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in first-year tertiary education students in Hong Kong.
Method: Depression, anxiety and stress were measured by the 42-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, completed on the web by participating students anonymously. Results: A total of 7915 students completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 27.5%. Depression, anxiety and stress levels of moderate severity or above were found in 21%, 41% and 27% of our respondents, respectively.
Conclusions: The web-based survey methodology was well accepted by our sample group of tertiary education students. We found high rates of psychological morbidity in first-year tertiary education students in Hong Kong. The high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in the first year of college life is alarming. It illustrates the need for primary and secondary prevention measures, with development of adequate and appropriate support services for this group.
[Copyright of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Informa Healthcare . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01883.x]

There has been much recent attention on psychological well-being and pastoral care for medical students. This study examines psychological morbidity (depression, anxiety and stress) in Hong Kong medical students, as well as their concerns, coping mechanisms and their help-seeking. Medical students in Hong Kong reported a higher level of psychological morbidity as compared with other tertiary education students. Their main concerns include examinations, stress, career, adjusting to the new medical curriculum and commitment to the course. The coping skills adopted were largely adaptive. Maladaptive coping skills like `denial', `self-blame' and `behavioural disengagement' were highly correlated with depression, anxiety and stress scores. Most of the students concerned wanted support services that were specifically tailored to their needs and at least partly provided by people who had been through medical training themselves. The faculty at the University of Hong Kong is establishing a Programme for Effective Transition and Student Support (PETSS) to provide a multi- faceted support system for its medical students. The findings in this study help to ensure that the services provided will be relevant, accessible and acceptable to the students.
[Copyright of Medical Teacher is the property of Informa Healthcare . Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01421590500237945]