{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T14:54:45Z","timestamp":1781708085725,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781654400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n The growing prevalence of mental health issues among university students underscores the need to explore factors associated with their wellbeing. This study investigates the influence of socio-demographic factors and perceived digital peer support on self-rated general physical health and mental health outcomes of undergraduate students. The research aims to examine how these factors are associated with student health and explore the potential role of perceived digital peer support in mental health.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A cross-sectional study was conducted with 230 university students. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale was used to assess anxiety symptoms, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used for depressive symptoms. Data on perceived digital peer support, self-rated general physical health, and socio-demographic characteristics were also collected. Chi-square tests with effect sizes (Cramer's V) and multivariate binary logistic regression were used to adjust for confounders.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n High rates of mental health symptoms were observed, with 43.5% of participants reporting moderate-to-severe anxiety and 53.5% moderate-to-severe depression. Perceived digital peer support was significantly associated with a lower rate of both anxiety (\u03c7\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 4.760,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.029) and depression (\u03c7\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 4.708,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.026) in bivariate analyses. Multivariate models confirmed digital peer support was an independent protective factor against anxiety (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.31, 0.97) and depression (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.93). Lower personal income is consistently associated with higher odds of both anxiety (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.05, 4.21) and depression (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.12, 4.52).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Perceived digital peer support is significantly associated with lower odds of moderate-to-severe anxiety and depression among university students, particularly for those with lower incomes. These findings suggest an association that warrants further exploration for campus mental health initiatives, especially for economically disadvantaged students.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1595794","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]],"date-time":"2026-06-17T14:12:46Z","timestamp":1781705566000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The association between digital peer support and mental health outcomes in university students: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Iftikhar Ahmed","family":"Charan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Administration, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai","place":["Shandong, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shazia","family":"Soomro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sociology, School of Sociology and Political Science, Anhui University, Hefei","place":["Anhui, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Syed Esam","family":"Mahmood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University","place":["Abha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayed A.","family":"Shati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University","place":["Abha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Youssef A.","family":"Alqahtani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University","place":["Abha, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marium","family":"Aftab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Boston Neurobehavioral Associates, New Bedford","place":["MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e16460","DOI":"10.2196\/16460","article-title":"Digital peer support mental health interventions for people with a lived experience of a serious mental illness: systematic review","volume":"7","author":"Fortuna","year":"2020","journal-title":"JMIR mental health."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"429","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ps.201300244","article-title":"Peer support services for individuals with serious mental illnesses: assessing the evidence","volume":"65","author":"Chinman","year":"2014","journal-title":"Psychiatr serv."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ps.201700352","article-title":"Peer-led self-management of general medical conditions for patients with serious mental illnesses: a randomized trial","volume":"69","author":"Druss","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychiatr Serv."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"947","DOI":"10.1007\/s11126-018-9592-5","article-title":"Smartphone ownership, use, and willingness to use smartphones to provide peer-delivered services: results from a national online survey","volume":"89","author":"Fortuna","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychiatr Q."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1605442","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2025.1605442","article-title":"Multiple mediating roles of physical and mental health in the effects of physical exercise on prosocial behavior in junior high school students","volume":"16","author":"Guo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Psychol."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.1111\/jopy.12309","article-title":"Adolescents' prosocial behavior predicts good grades beyond intelligence and personality traits","volume":"86","author":"Gerbino","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Pers."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"850","DOI":"10.1037\/emo0000178","article-title":"Do unto others or treat yourself? 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