JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Global concern for the mental well-being of university students is appropriately on the rise. Prevalence studies worldwide indicate that rates of mental health disorders among young adults attending university have reached 30%, with a staggering 80% of these individuals not receiving proper treatment ((Auerbach et al., 2018)). This not only adversely affects their academic performance but, more crucially, impairs their overall quality of life. In Brazil, where approximately eight million students are enrolled in universities, there exists a noticeable lack of studies addressing their mental health. In response, we created a web-based mental health survey tailored to the context of Brazilian university students. The primary objective of this paper is to outline the methods employed in designing this web-based mental health survey to provide insights into our approach to understanding and addressing mental health issues among university students in Brazil.

Objective:

The aim of this paper is to describe the methods used in the design of a web-based mental health survey to be administered in a private Brazilian University.

Methods:

In this web-based mental health survey, undergraduate students (target n = 8028) from two universities in Brazil (UNIFAJ and UNIMAX) will respond to three self-report screening questionnaires: 1) a measure of lifestyle and quality of life (SHORT-SMILE), 2) a screen for mental health disorders (DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure Adult) and 3) a summarized version of the Adult Self-Report Scale for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Students that receive high scores for specific constructs (i.e., depression, mania, generalized anxiety, sleeping disorders, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorders) will be administered more extensive standardized symptomatology scales. The three questionnaires and appropriate follow-up scales will be repeated every year within the same population to evaluate students over time. In addition, each year we will include new incoming students. The data will be analyzed cross-sectionally (with descriptive and association analysis between the different constructs measured) and longitudinally (with trajectory analyses at the level of the individual, area of academic concentration, and institution).

Results:

This protocol, as stated, has been underway since November 2023. The project is in the first wave of data collection. At this moment, there are 2127 participants, corresponding to more than 25% of the total number of students. Statistical analyzes will begin soon.

Conclusions:

College and university students have high rates of mental health issues. We have developed and described a web-based mental health survey that will allow us to evaluate and detect these issues with low cost and reasonable response rate in a University in Brazil. These efforts will allow us, in the near future, to monitor and test the efficiency and impact of mental health preventive programs. This model could be scaled up across other universities in Brazil to easily assess the mental health status of their students and have a significant impact on the mental health of our communities. Clinical Trial: Study registration: This study was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) under the https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AM5WS