Sociodemographic, academic, and health-related factors associated with antidepressant use among university and higher education students: a scoping review.

PURPOSE: The rising use of antidepressants among young people, including university students, has become a global public health concern. Despite previous reviews on this topic, the underlying drivers of this trend remain unclear. This scoping review aims to identify and analyse the key factors associated with antidepressant use among university and higher education students.

METHODS

We used a four-step approach-screening, selection, data extraction, and synthesis-based on an existing scoping review framework. Literature published from 2019 to 2025 was searched in Medline, Embase, and Scopus using keywords including "antidepressants," "psychotropic drugs," "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors," "serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors," "tricyclic antidepressants," "college and university students," "higher education," "undergraduate students," and "graduate students.". Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed, quantitative studies in English that examined students' antidepressant use in non-clinical populations.

RESULTS

Eighteen articles were included, following the screening of a total of 471 citations. All studies employed cross-sectional design and self-reported drug use. Factors associated with students' antidepressant use were organized into three main categories: sociodemographic, academic, and health-related factors. Female gender, older age, lower academic performance, and the presence of mental or emotional conditions were the most common factors associated with antidepressant use among the students, as reported by the studies.

CONCLUSION

Antidepressant use among students appears to be linked to a variety of sociodemographic, academic, and health-related factors. This scoping review highlights the need for longitudinal and registry-based studies to better understand causal factors influencing antidepressant use among students.