Umar Ibrahim Idris, Nurulumi Ahmad , Habibah binti Kamaruzaman, Aslinda binti Jamil, Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Bin Abdul Jamil, Lua Pei Lin

Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kampus Besut, 22200 Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia;

For correspondence:-  Nurulumi Ahmad   Email: numiahmad@unisza.edu.my   Tel:+60126388650

Received: 15 January 2026        Accepted: 22 July 2026        Published: 31 August 2026

Citation: Idris UI, Ahmad N, Kamaruzaman Hb, Jamil Ab, Jamil AK, Lin LP. Relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and mental health outcomes among university students in Malaysia. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(8):1173-1178 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v25i8.14

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate sociodemographic factors associated with mental health among undergraduate students from different faculties at a Malaysian public university. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1556 undergraduate students of 11 faculties of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Malaysia. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) were used to measure mental health components in the population. The sample was stratified by faculty ratios, and Chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression were used to compare differences. Results: There was a significant association between faculty and depression, anxiety, and stress (p < 0.001). Female students had significantly higher anxiety compared to male students (p < 0.05). However, ethnicity was only associated with stress (p < 0.05) and age was negatively related to anxiety scores (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Mental health problems among university students and associated sociodemographic factors vary across specific fields of study, gender and age. This indicates the need for department- or faculty-based mental health interventions and sociodemographic approaches.

Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Mental health, Psychosocial factors, University student

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)