Psychological distress among South African students with disabilities: levels and correlates of depression, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol use, hopelessness, and loneliness

Abstract

Student mental health has been increasingly acknowledged as a priority in South Africa. However, research examining the psychological well-being of students with disabilities (SWDs) remains limited. This study examined levels and correlates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use, hopelessness and loneliness among South African SWDs. Participants were undergraduate SWDs (N = 229) from three universities. They completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale-9, University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale Version 3, Short Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Rating Interview, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-5. Descriptive statistics, intercorrelations and multiple linear regression analyses were computed. The study found high levels of psychological distress, with 74.2% of participants meeting criteria for probable PTSD, 81.7% for depression, 55% for hopelessness, and 43.7% for anxiety. These mental health outcomes were strongly interrelated, reflecting a pattern of comorbidity, where PTSD was closely linked with heightened depressive and anxiety symptoms, hopelessness, and loneliness. Gender and disability type emerged as significant predictors of mental health outcomes. These findings highlight a substantial and largely unmet mental health burden among South African SWDs, underscoring the need for targeted, trauma-informed, and disability-responsive mental health interventions within higher education.