DESCRIPTIVE AND MULTIFACTORIAL ANALYSIS OF THE MENTAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

It is known that depression and anxiety can be associated with all people regardless of their social or cultural class, religious beliefs, gender, skin color, age, among other factors. They are considered multifactorial disorders and are usually linked to stressful and psychosocial factors. University students are at greater risk for the development and manifestation of mental symptoms, directly influencing academic performance and causing damage to psychosocial well-being and interpersonal relationships. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress among undergraduate students and and investigate, for the pathology of greater statistical relevance, which sociodemographic factors and the scale of problems/symptoms may be associated with greater risks to students.  The survey was conducted with 983 undergraduate students between March 2023 and February 2024. The questionnaires included sociodemographic questions and questions about the scale of problems/symptoms may be associated with reference factors DASS(21). Among the results evidenced, the factors that proved to be significant can be divided into two categories, being positive and negative correlations. Among the positive ones, the female gender stood out, showing greater depression in women. Among the negatives, he highlighted the factor of giving up the course. It is concluded that the high level of anxiety, depression and stress in university students cannot be ignored, which require special monitoring of those who do not have family support, with encouragement to practice physical exercises, improving the quality of life of students.