Anxiety Prevalence and its Associated Factors Among University Students In Malaysia: A National Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health problems worldwide, including Malaysia. With the rising suicide rate nowadays, this issue has gained concern and attention from many, including experts and authorities globally. While average levels of anxiety motivate students to perform well in their studies, a high level of anxiety will significantly affect students' performance and self-esteem. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at selected government and private universities throughout Malaysia. A total of 1851 students participated in this study. The students were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires, which include information such as socio-demographic, academic, and psychosocial characteristics. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire was used to measure the prevalence of anxiety in this study. Chi-square analysis was conducted to find the relationship between the variables and anxiety, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors. Results The response rate was 97.90%, where 1821 out of 1860 students participated in the study. The prevalence of anxiety in this study was 29%. The data revealed that race, residency, smoking status, alcohol consumption, sleeping quality, body mass index (BMI), academic year, the field of study, financial support for study and current living arrangement were found to be significantly associated with anxiety; with the academic year as the primary predictor. Conclusions Anxiety among university students in Malaysia is mainly impacted by the academic year. The findings highlight the current prevalence of anxiety among university students in Malaysia. The outcome of this study can serve as the evident baseline data and help with the development of specific interventions in addressing and managing the issue appropriately.