The research surveyed 1,829 first-year undergraduate students — in psychology, nursing, business, arts, law, engineering and computing — across Irish campuses, as part of the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative, which identifies 12-month and lifetime disorders.

Findings

The research found that law students have the highest rates of alcohol misuse among the students surveyed, with 16.1 per cent citing issues with alcohol over a 12-month period.

Law students were closely followed by business students (15.3 per cent) and engineering students (11 per cent).

When it comes to drug abuse, law students were slightly more likely (8.7 per cent) to engage in such behaviour compared to the campus-wide average (6 per cent). Those studying business reported the highest levels of drug abuse, at 10.5 per cent.

More troubling, however, are the tendencies of first-year law students towards suicide ideation, planning and attempts.

More than one in four (25.8 per cent) of law students surveyed reported having suicide ideation over a 12-month period, compared to the campus-wide average of 17.2 per cent.

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Furthermore, 14.9 per cent of law students reported a suicide plan (in contrast to 7.4 per cent of all students), and 3.9 per cent of law students had made a suicide attempt in the period, compared to 1.9 of all students.

When surveyed about myriad mental health ailments, law students reported a higher prevalence of most disorders, including depression (17.4 per cent of law students cited this), panic disorder (10.6 per cent), social anxiety (31.7 per cent) and ADHD (32.1 per cent).

Law students ranked below the campus-wide average only when it came to bipolar disorders, with 3.8 per cent reporting this, compared to 4.6 per cent of all students.

And, while 16.5 per cent of law students identified that they needed help in the 12-month period, compared to the campus-wide average of 11.3 per cent, the reasons for not ultimately seeking help also offer a warning sign.

Campus-wide, 12.6 per cent of students said that being afraid that seeking help might hinder their schooling or professional careers was a “very important” factor in their decision not to seek help. More than one in five (20.3 per cent) law students rated this factor as “very important”.

Discussion

Reflecting on the fact that law students reported both the highest levels of alcohol misuse and also suicide ideation and plans, the researchers noted that earlier studies have suggested that such findings are connected to stressors related to the course.

“It must be remembered, however, that this cohort was surveyed shortly after registering at college before they had engaged on their course. It may be beneficial to conduct further research to help determine factors that may draw students with such problems towards these courses,” the researchers added.

Previous authors, the researchers continued, have theorised that “specific traits and environmental influences shape intellectual interests and attract certain individuals to specific courses”.

“Socioeconomic status and problematic early life experiences may have an impact. Widening access to higher education, while being extremely beneficial, can bring additional challenges, with students enrolling from diverse backgrounds,” they wrote.

“They may be attracted towards certain courses, such as psychology or law, due to negative early life experiences.”

Furthermore, the researchers went on, personality is thought to influence degree selection.

“For example, high levels of neuroticism have been found in law and psychology students. These factors may not only attract individuals towards specific degrees but also predispose them to poorer mental wellbeing.”

The findings are largely in line with previous research about the prevalence of mental health ailments amongst legal professionals, as well as studies into alcohol abuse and disordered eating patterns for law students and lawyers.

The citation for the research is: McLafferty M, Brown N, Brady J, McLaughlin J, McHugh R, Ward C, et al. (2022) Variations in psychological disorders, suicidality, and help-seeking behaviour among college students from different academic disciplines. PLoS ONE 17(12): e0279618. 

The open-access article can be found here.