Depression and Anxiety of Portuguese University Students: ACross-Sectional Study about Prevalence and Associated Factors

Abstract

Background. The mental health of university students has worsened over time, and it is young people who have suffered the mostfrom the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health. Anxiety and depression are the most common symptoms reported byuniversity students and are often the cause of disabilities, either in academic performance or in other spheres of life. Aim. The aimof this study was to both assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Portuguese university students and analyzethe factors associated with these symptoms. Methods. A quantitative cross-sectional study with a sample of 3,399 universitystudents from seven Portuguese higher education institutions was conducted. The following questionnaires were used: thegeneralized anxiety disorder assessment scale (GAD-7), the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a study-createdsociodemographic questionnaire. The Kendall correlation coefficient, chi-square test of independence, Spearman correlationcoefficient, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann–Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and Kruskall-Wallis test were used to analyze the associationbetween variables. The statistical analysis was done using the software R Statistics (Version 4.0.4), using a significance level of0.05. Results. Mild to severe anxiety symptoms were reported by 75% of the participants, and 61.2% described mild to severeHindawiDepression and AnxietyVolume 2024, Article ID 5528350, 14 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2024/5528350 depressive symptoms. Of the sample, 19.5% reported a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder, with 38.7% diagnosed after thepandemic began. Additionally, 23% reported taking medication for mental health issues, and 26.7% had considered self-harmor harbored thoughts of being “better off dead.” The study found lower anxiety and depressive symptoms (p < 0 05) amongmen, students with higher socioeconomic status, those who frequently traveled home, individuals without prior mental healthdiagnoses, those with better academic performance, and those who avoided substances like coffee, tobacco, cannabis, and otherillegal psychoactive substances. Interestingly, students in romantic relationships exhibited more anxiety symptoms (p < 0 05).Moreover, participants who believed they had experienced moral or sexual harassment displayed higher levels of anxiety anddepressive symptoms (p < 0 001). Conclusions. There was a decrease in the mental health of university students after thepandemic compared to prepandemic studies, and the proportion of students with anxiety and depressive symptoms wasalarming. There is an urgent need to implement programs in universities to promote students’ mental health.