Promoção da saúde mental entre universitários da saúde: estudo multicêntrico
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Data
2026-01-30
Autores
Ledesma, Karla Mayerling Paz
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Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Resumo
Introduction: Although interest in the mental health of students in health-related programs has increased in recent decades, scientific production in Latin America and institutional interventions remain predominantly oriented toward a pathocentric perspective. This context highlights the need to incorporate approaches focused on the promotion of positive mental health, capable of recognizing resources, capacities, and contextual determinants associated with well-being and healthy functioning among university students. Objectives: This study was designed with three main and interrelated objectives. The first was to analyze the scientific literature on factors associated with positive mental health among university students in Latin America. The second aimed to examine the relationship between positive mental health indicators— positive mental health, positive mental health literacy, sense of coherence, and decision-making style—among nursing and medical students in Brazil and Colombia, considering the influence of socioeconomic factors, the academic environment, and health-related behaviors. The third objective involved the development and implementation of actions to promote positive mental health, integrating teaching and university extension practices. Methods: This multicenter study adopted a mixed methods approach and was conducted in three complementary stages. The first stage consisted of a scoping review carried out in accordance with PRISMA-ScR and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, with support from the Rayyan software for study management and screening. The second stage comprised a cross-sectional study with 935 nursing and medical students from Brazil and Colombia, in which the Positive Mental Health Literacy Scale was transculturally adapted and validated following the COSMIN (Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments) criteria. Descriptive analyses of participant characteristics and positive mental health indicators were subsequently performed. Explanatory relationships between contextual factors and mental health indicators were examined using correlation analyses and structural equation modeling. All analyses were conducted using Jamovi version 2.6.26. The third stage focused on the development and implementation of positive mental health promotion actions, assessed through systematic documentation and reflective records of extension and educational experiences. Results: The findings indicate that positive mental health and positive mental health literacy are relevant and interrelated constructs for understanding the mental health of health sciences students in Latin America.The transcultural adaptation of the Positive Mental Health Literacy Scale demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in both Brazilian and Colombian contexts, with high internal consistency and measurement equivalence across countries. In the explanatory analysis, positive mental health was associated with contextual determinants related to life cycle characteristics, the academic environment, and health conditions and behaviors, whereas positive mental health literacy showed more selective associations, particularly with features of the educational context. The analytical model presented acceptable global fit, supporting the complexity of the relationships examined. The promotion actions integrated teaching, research, and extension activities, with emphasis on the use of circular dance as an educational and community-based resource, the creation of the Positive Mental Health Oracle, and the proposal of the Latin American Network for Positive Mental Health, thereby expanding the formative, social, and institutional reach of the study’s findings. Conclusion: This thesis demonstrates that promoting positive mental health in the university context requires integrated approaches that are sensitive to contextual determinants and articulated with academic training. By integrating empirical evidence, instrument validation, and extension-based actions, the study contributes to the advancement of positive mental health promotion in Latin America.
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Promoção da Saúde , Saúde mental , Estudantes de Ciências da Saúde , Universidades , Health promotion , Mental health , Health sciences students , Universities