Prevalence of stress symptoms among students of a public university

Abstract

Thepurpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of stress symptoms among undergraduate students. A sample of 635 students from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro answered the Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults (ISSL) and a socio demographic questionnaire. The prevalence of stress was found to be 50%, with the majority of students at the resistance phase and a predominance of psychological symptoms of stress. A higher prevalence of stress was found in women and students who live in student residences (public or private) and those who have less contact with their family (p<0.05). Similar to other studies with undergraduate students, we identified higher stress rates among women. It was identified the importance of living with the family, due to the decreased prevalence of stress in students residing with the family and those who visit it more often. The high prevalence of students in the resistance phase, the predominance of psychological symptoms and the high number of students who believe they need psychological treatment, suggest the necessity of creating a prevention and treatment program for this population.