Characterization of research instruments that assess depression, anxiety and stress in university students: A systematic literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i5.45055Keywords:
Mental health, University students, Mental health assessment instruments, Medical teaching, Teaching.Abstract
The present study sought to analyze the literature and characterize the research instruments that address stress, depression and anxiety in university students. Explicit and systematic search methods were applied, based on the Cochranec Collaboration. To select the descriptors, we consulted the structured and trilingual vocabulary, of writers in Health Sciences (DeCS), Latin American and Caribbean Center for Information and Health Sciences (BIREME) and the Medical Subject Heandings (MeSH). The search for studies was carried out in databases that present high publications on the subject, namely: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD) and Academic Search Premier, using the following descriptors as a search strategy and Boolean operators: “university student OR university study” AND “mental health OR mental health”. Database searches resulted in 422 studies, but only 15 met the inclusion criteria. In the 15 studies reviewed, 13 research instruments were found and their data were organized according to: a) general characterization of the studies and b) general characterization of the instruments. The studies analyzed revealed the absence of research instruments aimed exclusively at the university population, demonstrating the need to adapt and validate existing instruments to be used with students at this stage of life. This systematic review of the literature suggests the incorporation of cultural and specific elements present in the context of university students in order to ensure a better understanding of the challenges faced by this public.
Downloads
References
Almeida, D. & Reis, M. (2010). Aplicação do coeficiente alfa de Cronbach nos resultados de um questionário para avaliação de desempenho da saúde pública. XXX Encontro Nacional de Engenharia de Produção: Maturidade e desafios da Engenharia de Produção: competitividade das empresas, condições de trabalho, meio ambiente. São Carlos, SP, Brasil, 12 a 15 de outubro de 2010.
Ariño, L. & Bardagi, M. (2018). Stress factors and mental health in university students: The mediating role of self-efficacy. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 47 (6), 1261-72.
Baldassin, S., Alves, T. C. D. A., De Andrade, A. G. & Nogueira-Martins, L. A. (2016). The characteristics of depressive symptoms in medical students during medical education and training: A cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 16, 90.
Bento, P. F. (2014). Princípios éticos na pesquisa em Ciências Sociais. Revista Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, 47(1), 6-12.
Biruel, J. R., & Pinto, R. (2011). Pesquisa em educação médica: Aspectos éticos e metodológicos. Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica, 35(4), 581-588.
Cardoso, J. M., Fonseca, M. J. F., Santana, C. L. M., & Oliveira, E. R. (2019). Stress in university students: Analysis of the factors and coping strategies. Revista Rede de Enfermagem Nordeste, 20, e3697.
Cavestro, D., & Rocha, L. (2006). Quality of life, stress, and depression in college students. Psychology & Society, 2(1), 8-16.
Copeland, L., Young, A., Rutland, A., & Sandhu, H. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of university students. Journal of Public Health, 43(4), 708-714.
El Morr, C., Ritvo, P., Ahmad, F., & Moineddin, R. (2020, July 17). Effectiveness of an 8-week web-based mindfulness virtual community intervention for university students on symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 7(7), e18595.
Furtado, E. F., Melo, D. G. C., & Amaral, F. G. (2013). The evaluation of mental health: Methods, tools, and perspectives. Psicologia: Teoria e Pesquisa, 29, 335-344.
Galvão, T. F., & Pereira, M. G. (2014, March). Revisões sistemáticas da literatura: Passos para sua elaboração. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde, 23(1), 183–184.
Guerra, B. T., & Bolsoni-Silva, A. T. (2014). O impacto da depressão para as interações sociais de universitários. Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia, 14(2), 429-452. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=451844508004
Hebert, E. A., Dugas, M. J., & Koerner, N. (2020). Mindfulness and acceptance-based cognitive and behavioral therapies for generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. In J. C. Norcross & M. R. Goldfried (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy integration (2nd ed., pp. 325-346). American Psychological Association.
Higgins, J. P. T., & Green, S. (2011). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. John Wiley & Sons. https://training.cochrane.org/handbook
Jardim, A. L., Castro, F. S., & Rodrigues, M. G. (2020). Stress and mental health in senior college students: The influence of coping strategies. Trends in Psychology, 28(2), 321-333.
Lai, A. Y., Lee, L., Wang, M., Feng, Y., Lai, T. T., Ho, L., et al. (2020, November 23). Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international university students, related stressors, and coping strategies. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11.
Lee, R. A., & Jung, M. E. (2018, January 23). Evaluation of an mHealth app (DeStressify) on university students' mental health: Pilot trial. JMIR Mental Health, 5(1), e2.
Lipp, M. E. N. (2004). Stress and quality of life. Psychological Research and Practice, 1(1), 10-15.
Mondardo, A. H., & Pedon, E. A. (2005). Estresse e desempenho acadêmico em estudantes universitários. Revista Ciências Humanas, 6(6), 159-180.
Ochnik, D., Rogowska, A. M., Kuśnierz, C., Jakubiak, M., Schütz, A., Held, M. J., et al. (2021, September 20). Mental health prevalence and predictors among university students in nine countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-national study. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 18644. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97697-3
Osse, E. R., & Costa, S. C. (2011). Self-efficacy and academic performance of university students. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 24(4), 698-707.
Othman, N., Ahmad, F., El Morr, C., & Ritvo, P. (2019, March 26). Perceived impact of contextual determinants on depression, anxiety, and stress: A survey with university students. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 13(1). https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-019-0275-x
Palacios, J. E., Richards, D., Palmer, R., Coudray, C., Hofmann, S. G., Palmieri, P. A., et al. (2018, July 4). Supported internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy programs for depression, anxiety, and stress in university students: Open feasibility trial of acceptability, effectiveness, and satisfaction (Preprint). JMIR Mental Health, 5(4).
Rodrigues, M., & Souza, A. B. (2021). The impact of university environment on mental health: A review. Journal of College Student Development, 62(2), 243-257.
Santos, J. E., Thiele, E. S., & Domingos, L. S. (2003). Prevalence of depressive symptoms among university students. Psico-USF, 8(1), 23-29.
Selye, H. (1978). The stress of life (rev.). McGraw-Hill.
Silva, T. C., & Heleno, M. G. (2012). Stress and quality of life in college students. Psicologia: Ciência e Profissão, 32(3), 570-577.
Sobral, M. P. (2021). Understanding stress and its impact on mental health. In S. M. Santos & J. S. Mendonça (Eds.), Psychological well-being and mental health in the 21st century (pp. 102-116). Springer.
Turato, E. R. (2005). Content analysis in qualitative research. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 21(5), 1448-1458.
Valdebenito, A. (2017). Self-efficacy and personal difficulties in university students. European Journal of.
Wathelet, M., Duhem, S., Vaiva, G., Baubet, T., Habran, E., Veerapa, E., et al. (2020, October 23). Factors associated with mental health disorders among university students in France confined during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Network Open, 3(10), e2025591.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Laiana Soeiro Ferreira; Simone Souza da Costa Silva; Carla Eduarda Santana Garcia; Joana Kelly Alves Costa; Fernando Augusto Ramos Pontes; Luana Conceição Queiroz; Christoph de Oliveira Käppler
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
