Problems and Factors that may be Associated with Mental Health Problems Leading University Students to Seek Assistance at the Counseling Clinic of the Primary Care Unit of Khon Kaen University

Abstract Introduction: Mental health problems frequently occur in university students. This study evaluated the prevalence of problems and individual factors that may be associated with mental health problems leading university students to seek assistance at the counseling clinic of the primary care unit. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. We examined the database and medical records of 142 university students over 18 years old who visited the mental health counseling clinic during 2023. Participants’ characteristics and student problems were summarized using descriptive statistics. A logistic regression analysis calculated the crude and adjusted odds ratios. Results: Student counseling clinic visits are most often caused by stress (97.18%). Most of the reasons for the mental health problems were academic problems (82.39%). Female and not domiciled in the Northeast region were associated with relationship problems within the family (AOR = 4.050, 95% CI: 1.590–10.313 and AOR = 6.424, 95% CI: 1.179–34.994), having a boyfriend or girlfriend was associated with problems in romantic relationships (AOR = 12.215, 95% CI: 4.652–32.071), and residing in a university dormitory was associated with financial problems (AOR = 2.598, 95% CI: 1.051–6.425). Conclusion: Individual factor data may be used to identify the most frequent mental health problems, improving patient care in primary care settings.