Abstract
Client characterization is an important step in evaluating the services offered by campus counseling and mental health centers and in their further planning and development. The objectives here were to describe reported complaints and demographics among students who sought counseling/mental healthcare at a Brazilian campus mental health service over a 17-year period and to compare these characteristics with those of the general university student body. Retrospective study at the Psychological and Psychiatric Service for Students (SAPPE), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp). The participants were all of the 2,194 students who sought counseling/mental health care at SAPPE from 1987 to 2004. Information was obtained from clients clinical charts. Unicamps database was consulted for general information on its students. The findings indicated overrepresentation, among the clients, of undergraduates, female students, students from Brazilian states other than São Paulo, students living in the campus residence hall and those whose main source of income was a scholarship grant. We also found overrepresentation of Humanities and Arts students among the clients. The most frequently reported complaints were difficulties in interpersonal relationships, family conflicts and poor academic performance. Course level (undergraduate or postgraduate), study field, living in a university residential facility and reliance on a scholarship grant were found to influence the behavior of seeking mental health counseling among Brazilian university students in this study. Course level was found to influence the pattern of complaints reported at first contact with the mental health service.
Highlights
As early as in the 1920s, the mental health of university students began to be a matter of concern in developed countries,[1] which eventually led to increased awareness of the fact that post-secondary school students face the challenges of higher education, and many developmental issues that accompany late adolescence and young adulthood
Undergraduates made up 75.6% of student-clients and postgraduates accounted for 24.4%. The city where both the main university campus and the mental health service are located, was the home of 21.1% of SAPPE’s clients, while 52.6% of them came from other cities within the State of São Paulo, 24.4% came from other Brazilian states and 1.9% came from other countries (1.1% of the undergraduate clients and 4.5% of the postgraduate clients)
The housing arrangements of SAPPE’s clients were that 35.0% were living with roommates in a rented apartment or house; 32.2% were living with their families; 18.5% were living in the campus residence hall; and 14.3% were living on their own
Summary
As early as in the 1920s, the mental health of university students began to be a matter of concern in developed countries,[1] which eventually led to increased awareness of the fact that post-secondary school students face the challenges of higher education, and many developmental issues that accompany late adolescence and young adulthood. Among these are their individuation and connectedness to their families, the development of friendships and intimate relationships, career choices and the pursuit of personal and professional goals. This is designed to provide clinical care for regularly enrolled students from all university courses, both undergraduates and postgraduates (i.e. students on master’s and doctoral programs)
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Schedule a callMore From: Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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