Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: JULIANA AVILA DE SOUZA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : JULIANA AVILA DE SOUZA
DATE: 27/02/2024
TIME: 10:00
LOCAL: https://meet.google.com/zcf-ngfs-ggi
TITLE:

Mental health, sleep, dreams, and psychosocial safety climate in higher education

KEY WORDS:

Depression, anxiety, sleep quality, dreams, PSC-12, higher education

PAGES: 140
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Fisiologia
SUMMARY:

Mental health issues among graduate students have sparked debate within the academic community. Previous studies identified anxiety and depression levels up to 6 times higher than the general population. Sleep disorders and substance abuse are also commonly reported. The phenomenon of academic suffering requires further research to identify etiological factors – intrinsic or extrinsic to the individual – for preventive actions and support. The present study aimed to investigate risk and protective factors for mental illness among a Brazilian sample. 476 graduate students (mean age 33.9, SD=8.62) from all Brazilian regions completed an online questionnaire, as approved by the local ethics committee (CAAE: 54127221.0.0000.5537). Questions covered sociodemographics aspects, lifestyle and health, COVID-19 impact, academic experiences, social context, and dream reports. Psychometric screening instruments for depression (PHQ-9: mean=13.8, SD=7.21), anxiety (GAD-7: mean=11.9, SD=6.23), sleep disorders (PSQI: mean=8.41, SD=3.85), and psychosocial safety climate (PSC-12: mean=35, SD=18) were also applied. Results were tested for assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance, statistical analyses were adjusted accordingly. Non-parametric t-test was performed with the PSC-12 classification for mental illness risk as a grouping variable. Participants in the  high risk (HR) group had significantly higher scores than those in the low risk (LR) group, indicating a higher presence of symptoms for depression (HR: mean=14.4, SD=6.89; LR: mean=11, SD=7.92; U=12337, p<.001, r=0.271), anxiety (HR: mean=12.4, SD=6.13;  LR: mean=9.62, SD=6.18; U=12661, p<.001, r=0.252), and sleep disorders (HR: mean=8.68, SD=3.81; LR: mean=7.18, SD=3.85; U=13197, p=.001, r=0.220). Scores from different instruments were normalized with square root transformation for simple linear regression with the general PSC-12 score as a predictor variable. The overall regressions were statistically significant for depression (R²=0.0570, F(1,474)=28.7, p<.001), anxiety (R²=0.0443, F(1;474)=22, p<.001), and sleep disorders (R²=0.0389, F(1;465)=18.8, p<.001) symptoms. Global mental health challenges have reached new proportions after the COVID-19 pandemic. Predictions about future pandemics and global warming-related crises are not optimistic, and the main hope for dealing with these issues should come from future scientific and technological advances. Taking into account that increasing diversity in science is a direct way to enhance the diversity of approaches and creativity in problem-solving, there’s a responsibility to protect scientists in their formative years in order to minimize mental health issues, career abandonment and suicide rates among academics

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - 1243905 - DRAULIO BARROS DE ARAUJO
Externa ao Programa - 1666189 - JANAINA WEISSHEIMER - nullExterna à Instituição - MANOELA ZIEBELL DE OLIVEIRA - PUC - RS
Presidente - 1660044 - SIDARTA TOLLENDAL GOMES RIBEIRO