Background: The mental health status of students in higher vocational colleges (HVC) has been widely concerned. The previous investigations have found that family economic status has a great impact on the mental health of students in higher vocational colleges. Further clarification of its specific relevance is crucial for developing psychological intervention strategies and promoting mental well-being. While previous studies have examined the mental health status of higher vocational college students from varying family economic backgrounds, the experimental designs and observation indicators used have differed significantly, making it challenging to draw conclusive and consistent findings. In light of this, continued research is necessary to address these gaps and provide more reliable and consistent evidence. Objective: To compare the mental health status of students in HVC with different family economic conditions. Methods: This study conducted an empirical investigation on the mental health status of higher vocational students facing family financial difficulties (FFD). A total of 648 vocational and technical college students were randomly selected as participants, with 381 students experiencing FFD and 267 students without such difficulties. The aim was to examine the psychological characteristics and compare the mental health status of higher vocational students with and without FFD. The study sought to reveal the underlying mechanisms influencing the mental health of higher vocational students facing family financial challenges. Results: The scores for obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and hostility are significantly higher among vocational college students with FFD compared to those without such difficulties (P<0.05). However, the total score on the self-report symptom checklist (SCL-90) is lower for vocational college students with FFD compared to those without such difficulties (P<0.05). Among vocational college students with FFD, male students exhibit higher scores for obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and hostility compared to female students. Additionally, the total score on SCL-90 is higher for male students than for female students (P<0.05). The scores for somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, terror, paranoia, and psychosis are higher among third-grade vocational students with FFD compared to first and second-grade students. Furthermore, the total score on SCL-90 is highest in the third grade, followed by the second grade, and then the first grade (P<0.05). There is no significant difference in the SCL-90 factor scores among vocational college students with financial difficulties. The data variations are not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: The mental health level of family students with financial difficulties is lower than that of non-family students with financial difficulties, and they are more likely to have anxiety, depression and interpersonal sensitive psychological problems. Students with financial issues in their families also vary significantly in terms of gender and grade level when it comes to mental health. The psychological pressure of students with FFD mainly comes from economic pressure, employment pressure and family pressure.