Mental disorders and related factors in college students from nontraditional families in China

Little is known about mental disorders and related factors in college students from nontraditional families in China. We administered the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (Chinese version) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Chinese version) to 3,338 college students, 2,745 from traditional families and 593 from nontraditional families. The results showed that students in a stepfamily had the highest SCL-90-R scores, and students in an adoptive family had the lowest scores. The SCL-90-R factor scores were negatively correlated with current cohesion and adaptability scores. Poor economic status and loneliness were independent risk factors, and high current cohesion and adaptability were preventive factors for mental disorders. These findings indicate that reducing poverty and loneliness, and maintaining good family functioning may decrease the risk of mental disorders among college students.