Student precarity in France: a key driver of mental health disorders and social inequalities

Background

Economic and food-related difficulties may affect students’ mental health, yet studies in France are lacking. This study aimed to examine socio-demographic factors associated with precarity, as well as its associations with mental health, academic failure and foregone care among university student.

Methods

Participants were drawn from a 2024 national survey on student (BSE) well-being and health behaviors in France conducted by the Observatoire national de la vie étudiante (OVE). Student precarity was assessed using a score based on financial difficulties and food insecurity, grouped into three levels: none, mild, and precarity. Mental health was assessed using GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales. Associations were examined using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic confounders.

Results

Among participants (n = 4,975; 55.8% women; mean age = 22.8, SD = 2.5) 18.7% had mild precarity and 19.4% had precarity. Older age, field of study (health and humanities and social sciences), and living in collective housing were associated with increased odds of precarity. Precarity was associated with severe anxiety (aOR = 3.37; 95% CI [2.78–4.10]), severe depression (aOR = 6.10; 95% CI [4.77–7.80]), suicidal ideation (aOR = 2.44; 95% CI [2.02–2.94]), academic failure (aOR = 1.78; 95% CI [1.43–2.21]) and foregone care for financial reasons (aOR = 8.63; 95% CI [7.18–10.40]). Precarity was further associated with food assistance use (aOR=2.36; 95% CI [1.91–2.92]).

Conclusions

Severe precarity affects one in five French students and constitutes a major public health issue, driving inequalities in mental health and healthcare acces. Addressing its socioeconomic determinants should be a central public health priority to reduce inequalities, prevent academic failure, and limit long-term social exclusion. Strengthening social protection and integrating targeted prevention strategies into student health policies are urgently needed.

Key messages

• Nearly 20% of French students face precarity, which serves as a major structural determinant of mental health, increasing the odds of severe depression six fold.

• Financial and food insecurity are primary barriers to healthcare access and academic success, necessitating integrated economic and health policy interventions.