Associação entre o perfil de diagnóstico, tratamento e os níveis de ansiedade em estudantes universitários da área da saúde: estudo transversal

Abstract

Anxiety disorders represent a major public health challenge. Brazil is among the countries with the highest rates. Studies show that university students around the world have some type of mental disorder, with anxiety being the most prevalent. It is noteworthy that anxiety disorder, in addition to causing mental suffering in the individual, favors the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, over-the-counter medication and suicide. Thus, the objective of the research is to verify the association between the diagnosis profile, treatment and anxiety levels in health students on a campus in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte. The quantitative method, with a transversal, correlational, descriptive and comparative approach, was used in the work, which resulted in 84 participants, from four health courses (nursing, physiotherapy, nutrition and psychology). A questionnaire prepared by the research authors was used, as well as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (IAB), an instrument used to measure the level of anxiety of individuals. Among the main results are the predominance of female students (78.6%), having studied for 2 to 5 years (59.5%). According to the IAB, 39.3% have severe anxiety symptoms. Regarding treatment for anxiety, 45.2% said they were taking it and more than half of the respondents reported not having a definitive diagnosis (60.7%). This research allowed us to understand some aspects of anxiety in university students on a rural campus. Universities must increasingly prioritize actions that improve the quality of life of their students.