Perceived university unfairness and somatic symptoms in German students: mediation by distress and lifestyle

Perceived unfairness at the university is a stressor for students and may be a risk factor for somatic symptoms. Therefore, this study examined the association of perceived unfairness with somatic symptoms and the mediating role of distress and lifestyle factors in 1,105 university students from Germany (50.1% female, mean age: 25.51). The participants filled out an online questionnaire in March 2024 capturing somatic symptoms (SSS-8), perceived university unfairness (UFair Questionnaire), alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), physical activity, sleep quality (Jenkins Sleep Scale), and distress (SOS-XS-G). Multiple mediation of the association of perceived unfairness with self-reported somatic symptoms by distress and/or lifestyle factors was analysed. The model was adjusted for age, gender, and university type. The association between perceived university unfairness and somatic symptoms was notable (direct standardized effect: 0.524, p < 0.001) and partially mediated by distress, and sleep quality. Consequently, the reduction of perceived university unfairness might reduce their distress, improve their sleep quality, and reduce their somatic symptoms.