Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Among First-Year Students of a Public College in the Northeast, Brazil

Abstract

Universities have sought to characterize the students' mental health considering academic and social impacts. This study used a questionnaire to assess the prevalence and severity of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. A convenience sample of 92 first-year students attending the Physical Therapy, Psychology, and Nutrition undergraduate programs at a public college in the Northeast, Brazil, aged between 17 and 38 (M = 20.50; SD = 3.50), participated in this study. The DASS-21 scale revealed that 48.90% experience mild or more severe symptoms in at least one of the factors, 35.90% experience stress, 26.10% depression, and 22.80% experience anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms were the most severe. Differences were found between the programs, suggesting that the symptoms are not homogeneous across the institution. No statistically significant differences were found based on gender, and no significant correlations were found between symptoms and income, age, or the number of children. Future studies should explore which programs' characteristics influence the profile of symptoms. Practical implications are also discussed.