ORIGINAL PAPER
Student mental health profiles in Poland and Vietnam: multigroup latent profile analysis using ASR-derived dimensions
 
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1
Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
 
2
Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
 
3
Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
 
4
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
 
5
Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam
 
6
Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
 
7
University College of Professional Education in Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2026-07-07
 
 
Final revision date: 2026-09-17
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-10-04
 
 
Online publication date: 2026-11-05
 
 
Corresponding author
Małgorzata Lipowska   

Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Mental health difficulties are a growing concern among university students, particularly during emerging adulthood. Given the potential role of cultural context, this study aimed to identify latent profiles of psychological functioning among stu-dents in Poland and Vietnam and examine their demographic and educational correlates.

Participants and procedure:
The study included 1,753 university students from Poland and Vietnam (M_age = 20.45, SD = 4.77), predominantly women. Measures included the Adult Self-Report (revised seven-factor model), School Burnout Inventory, Utrecht Study Engagement Scale, and questions on sleep and learning-related values. Analyses comprised exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, measurement invariance testing, and latent profile analysis.

Results:
Four profiles emerged in both countries, reflecting varying severity of co-occurring internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Profiles differed across countries, with membership associated with gender in Vietnam and year of study and study-work status in Poland. Educational burnout and study engagement differentiated profiles in both samples.

Conclusions:
The findings reveal broadly similar patterns of co-occurring psychological difficulties across both countries, but differences in severity and correlates. As sociocultural mechanisms were not directly assessed, these differences cannot be attributed to specific cultural processes. The findings support person-centered approaches to psychological functioning and underscore the need for further research on sociocultural influences.
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