ArticleDepression and anxiety2024
Depression and Anxiety of Portuguese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study about Prevalence and Associated Factors.
Article in Depression and anxiety, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of Electrical Stimulation on Mental Stress, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Pooled it
- Development and content validation of an anxiety-specific mental health literacy promotion programme for higher education students.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Parental Attachment and Mental Health Literacy in Young Adults: The Mediational Role of Emotional Regulation on Well-Being and Psychopathological.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Obesity, Overweight, and the Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Among University Students: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study in Greece.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Predicting factors associated with aggression behavior among university students: a cross sectional study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Factors Associated with Mental Health Literacy Among Undergraduate Health Students in Portuguese Higher Education: The Role of Psychological Well-Being.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms, Barriers, and Facilitators for Seeking Support Among European University Students: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Associations of academic stress with anxiety and depressive symptoms: the mediating role of emotional eating.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Mental health-promoting intervention models in university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.BMJ open · 2025Article
- The Impact of Technology on Anxiety Management in University Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Symptoms of anxiety and depression among health and social science students: A multicenter study.Heliyon · 2025Article
- Depression, anxiety, and stress among college students: a Kashmir-based epidemiological study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Article
- Effects of inhalingFrontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Mental Health as a Polysemic Construct? Revisiting the Debate about University Students' Unmet Needs.Portuguese journal of public health · 2024Article
- Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Italian Nursing Students: Prevalence and Predictors.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Anxiety and depression in first-year university students: the role of family and social support.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The mental health of university students has worsened over time, and it is young people who have suffered the most from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health. Anxiety and depression are the most common symptoms reported by university students and are often the cause of disabilities, either in academic performance or in other spheres of life. Aim: The aim of this study was to both assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Portuguese university students and analyze the factors associated with these symptoms. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study with a sample of 3,399 university students from seven Portuguese higher education institutions was conducted. The following questionnaires were used: the generalized anxiety disorder assessment scale (GAD-7), the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a study-created sociodemographic questionnaire. The Kendall correlation coefficient, chi-square test of independence, Spearman correlation coefficient, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and Kruskall-Wallis test were used to analyze the association between variables. The statistical analysis was done using the software R Statistics (Version 4.0.4), using a significance level of 0.05. Results: Mild to severe anxiety symptoms were reported by 75% of the participants, and 61.2% described mild to severe depressive symptoms. Of the sample, 19.5% reported a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder, with 38.7% diagnosed after the pandemic began. Additionally, 23% reported taking medication for mental health issues, and 26.7% had considered self-harm or harbored thoughts of being "better off dead." The study found lower anxiety and depressive symptoms ( Conclusions: There was a decrease in the mental health of university students after the pandemic compared to prepandemic studies, and the proportion of students with anxiety and depressive symptoms was alarming. There is an urgent need to implement programs in universities to promote students' mental health.
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