Saúde Mental de Estudantes Universitários da Região Norte do Brasil

Abstract

Entering a Higher Education Institution brings significant transformations to the lives of university students. Adapting to this new environment is a complex process, often associated with emotional tension, academic challenges, and adjustment difficulties. This doctoral thesis presents a quantitative, exploratory, descriptive, and cross-sectional study composed of a systematic literature review and field research. Data collection was conducted online with undergraduate students from the Federal University of Pará, a public institution located in Northern Brazil. The following instruments were used: Sociodemographic Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale-10, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory – first version, and Beck Hopelessness Scale. The thesis is structured into three studies. Study 1, entitled “Characterization of Research Instruments for University Students’ Mental Health,” provides a bibliographic review of the instruments used in research on the mental health of university students. Study 2, “The Perceived Stress Scale-10: Evidence of Validity and Reliability among University Students from Northern Brazil,” aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the PSS-10 based on the scores of 283 students from the Federal University of Pará. Study 3, “Mental Health in University Students from Northern Brazil: A Study on Perceived Stress, Coping Capacity, Anxiety, Depression, and Hopelessness,” aimed to measure levels of perceived stress, perceived coping capacity, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness among these students, and to identify mental distress patterns based on sociodemographic variables and mental health history. The findings from Study 1 revealed a lack of instruments developed or adapted specifically for the Brazilian university context, especially in the Northern region. In Study 2, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) demonstrated a bidimensional factor structure with good fit indices, satisfactory internal consistency, and significant positive correlations with the Beck Anxiety Inventory, providing evidence of its validity and reliability for use with university students in the region. Study 3 indicated the presence of psychological distress among students, highlighting mild to moderate levels of perceived stress, mild to severe anxiety, mild to severe depression, mild to moderate hopelessness, and mild perceived coping capacity, with higher symptom levels among women and students reporting previous psychological or psychiatric care. The three studies are interrelated in identifying the absence of validated and culturally adapted instruments for Brazilian university students, particularly those in the North. They propose the validation of the PSS-10 for this population and use it alongside other instruments to detect alarming levels of psychological distress. The findings underscore the importance of institutional measures prioritizing mental health in higher education and the use of psychometric instruments sensitive to the students’ sociocultural context, contributing to more accurate diagnoses and more effective preventive actions.