Discrimination and common mental disorders of undergraduate students of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Abstract

Introduction:The pathogenic and consistent effect of discrimination on mental health has been largely documented in the literature. However, there are few studies measuring multiple types of discrimination, evaluating the existence of a dose-response relationship or investigating possible effect modifiers of such an association. Objective: To investigate the association between experiences of discrimination attributed to multiple reasons and common mental disorders, including the adjustment for potential confounders, assessment of dose-response relations, and examination of effect modifiers in undergraduate students from southern Brazil. Methods: In the first semester of 2012, 1,023 students from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina answered a self-administered questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, undergraduate course, experiences of discrimination and common mental disorders. Associations were analyzed through logistic regression models, estimation of Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: The study results showed that students reporting discrimination at high frequency and intensity were 4.4 (95%CI 1.6 -12.4) times more likely to present common mental disorders. However, the relationship between discrimination and common mental disorders was protective among Electrical Engineering students, when compared to Accounting Sciences students who did not report discrimination. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the dose-response relationship between experiences of discrimination and common mental disorders reinforces the hypothetical causal nature of this association. Nevertheless, the modification of effect caused by the undergraduate course should be considered in future studies for a better understanding and measurement of both phenomena.

Common mental disorder and its association with academic performance among Debre Berhan University students, Ethiopia

“…The prevalence of CMD was 28.8–44.7% among university students [26–30], 43.3% among community-based health agents [31], 50.1% among socio-educational agents [32], 22–42.6% among primary healthcare workers [33, 34], 22.3–34.5% among university employees [35], 30.2–50% among patients [36–39], 41.4% among pregnant women [40], 29.7–32.1% among elders [41, 42], 24% among physicians [43], and 6.7% among civil aviation pilots [44]. …”

“…A cross-sectional study with university students uncovered that the prevalence of CMD was 28.8–44.7% [26–30]. The risk factors were difficulty in making friends, poor self-evaluation of academic performance, thoughts of dropping out, sleep disorder, not owning a car, feeling overloaded, discrimination, limited physical activity, and perceived lack of emotional support [26–30]. A large cross-sectional web-based study conducted at the University of Newcastle found that nearly one-third of students reported at least one CMD [49].…”

Factors associated with common mental disorder in school teenagers

“…Despite the concern of national and international researchers, psychological distress, usually expressed by signs of anxiety and depression, is not yet a condition measurable by epidemiological data. That is because, as it consists of a nonspecific discomfort, health professionals have difficulty identifying it and relating it to a risk condition for mental illness in children and adolescents (1) . However, mental disorders stand out as the main challenges faced by health services, since many times, before the formal diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder, it is already possible to find, in the clinic, signs of psychological suffering (2) .…”