Lifestyle Choices and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Survey with German and Chinese Students

A study published in BMC Public Health explores the relationship between lifestyle choices and mental health in students from Germany and China. 

The longitudinal study sought to explore the predictive factors of a range of lifestyle choices including smoking and alcohol consumption for positive mental health. The research team highlighted that many previous studies have offered a non-linear relationship between drinking alcohol and an increased risk of anxiety and depression and that the link is "controversial".

They also highlighted that those who identify as "abstaining" from alcohol report greater rates of anxiety and depression than those who do not report alcohol consumption but avoid the label "abstainer". The team concluded that there may be a relationship between alcohol consumption and mental health which is influenced by other socioeconomic and lifestyle factors rather than the alcohol itself. 

Smoking, it is discussed, has a link to depression in adolescents while those who quit smoking see an improvement in their mental wellbeing. The researchers found that "the relationship between mental health and smoking is bidirectional: Young smokers with anxiety and depression are more likely to develop a nicotine addiction in early adulthood."

The study is published in English and is available online as an OpenAccess paper.