The growing presence of mental health symptoms among university students is a concern that has spread worldwide and, in whose research, an UANDES academic has actively participated.
Javier Mella, a researcher from the School of Education, and Jorge Gaete, recently published two scientific articles in international indexed journals addressing different aspects of mental health in university students.
The first study, entitled Mental disorders & self-injurious thoughts and behaviors predict high risk of role impairment among university students, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders and is part of the international initiative World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS).
The research analyzed data from nearly 44,000 first-year students at 60 universities in ten countries and showed that more than a quarter experience significant impairment in their academic and daily functioning associated with emotional problems.The results indicate that mental disorders and self-injurious behaviors carry the highest risk of this type of impairment, enabling the identification of priority groups for preventive interventions.
The second article, Acceptability and feasibility of Reframe-IT+U for suicidal ideation in university students , was published in the journal Pilot and Feasibility Studies. The article presents the protocol of a pilot study evaluating the acceptability and feasibility of a preventive intervention based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, adapted to the Chilean university context. The program combines in-person sessions and digital components, and aims to reduce suicidal ideation in students with mild to moderate risk, as well as generate evidence for a future large-scale clinical trial.