Integration to higher education and mental health: a study in a brazilian public federal university

Mental health problems among college students have gained greater visibility in recent years. However, there are still few studies investigating a possible relationship between mental illness in students and aspects of academic life. Given this gap, the main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between dimensions of integration into higher education and symptoms of Common Mental Disorders in undergraduate students at a federal public university. A total of 7,177 students participated in the research, who answered an online questionnaire containing sociodemographic questions, measures of a scale of integration to higher education, and an instrument for screening symptoms of Common Mental Disorders SRQ-20 (Self-Reporting Questionnaire). The results indicated that there are correlations between social and academic integration factors with symptoms of Common Mental Disorders. The model formed by academic dimensions and psychosocial factors had a predictive power of 36.7%. The motivation to study factor had the highest predictive power (β = -.303; t = p < 0.01), followed by satisfaction with performance (β = -.191; t = -16.807; p < 0.01) ; . Such findings reinforce the need for higher education institutions to act in promoting the mental health of their students.

Keywords:
mental health; university student; academic integration