Procena mentalnog zdravlja i prevencija mentalnih poremećaja studentske populacije

Abstract

Studenti se uglavnom smatraju zdravom grupacijom stanovništva, ali ipak oko 30% njih svake godine doživi neki problem iz oblasti mentalnog zdravlja. Mentalno zdravlje studenata sve više postaje sfera interesovanja na globalnom nivou, jer sučeljavanje sa brojnim životnim situacijama koje nosi ovaj period života ubrzava nastanak depresivnih i anksioznih poremećaja. Studija predstavlja jedno od najvećih istraživanja koje se bavi procenom mentalnog zdravlja kod studentske populacije na teritoriji Srbije. Istraživanje sugeriše na potrebe uvođenja skrininga na depresivnost i anksioznost kod studentske populacije, odnosno rano detektovanje neprepoznatih poremećaja zdravlja u presimptomatskoj fazi poremećaja. Ovakvo istraživanje bi moglo da pomogne u kreiranju preventivnih programa kod studentske populacije, kako na lokalnom tako i na naciopnalnom nivou, što bi rezultiralo sugestijama za dopune i izmene odgovarajućih zakonskih i podzakonskih akata u ovoj oblasti.

Previously obtained data in Serbia showed that about 30% of university students population manifested signs of psychological distress and has mental problems. Mental health of university students is under increasing concern worldwide, because they face challenges which predispose them to depression and anxiety. This is one of the largest study examining mental disorders in a sample of university students in Serbia. AIM: to estimate the mental health and detection of depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students. The study was a cross-sectional survey of students attending University of Kragujevac. Our research instrument was standardized questionnaires (adapted to students), from the WHO research protocol of Health behavior. We randomly selected 1,940 students. Symptoms of depression were evaluated through the scale BDI-IA. Symptoms of anxiety were evaluated through the BAI scale. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in students was 23.6%, while the prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 33.5%. Female students, older students, students who reported low family economic situation, not owning the room, dissatisfaction with graduate education were more likely to show depressive symptoms. Female students, students who reported parents high expectations of academic success, students who reported environmental pressure of academic success were more likely to show anxiety symptoms. Questions from the questionnaire that were related to the presence of certain somatic symptoms in patients over the last six months, served as the basis for creating a new variable (the sum score of somatic symptoms) for assessing the risk of presence depressive or anxiety symptoms. By collecting responses, a new variable which sum the somatic symptoms might be indicate the presence of depressive or anxiety symptoms. Results show that the sum score of somatic symptoms might be a very good marker for the separation of students with depressive symptoms from students without which means that an increase in the value of the sum score of somatic symptoms by 1 increases the risk of depressive symptoms by 5.2%. Results also shows that the sum score of somatic symptoms might be an excellent marker for the separation of students with anxiety symptoms, from students without anxiety symptoms which means that an increase in the value of the new variable by 1 increases the risk of anxiety by 5.6%. These results demonstrate that the high rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students are related to academic, nonacademic and cultural backgrounds. The last several years have provided data that highlight a neglected public health problem in institutes of higher education. The importance of early identification, especially the minor signs of depression, could prevent or reduce its severity and chronicity. From a public health perspective, onset and development of mental illness in students is a potentially critical area for intervention programs. A particular challenge is to promote the early diagnosis of depression by initiating community-based intervention programmes and to reduce the stigma of mood disorders. Such efforts hold substantial promise for the development of interventions that may have a positive impact on the health and well-being of college students.