ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS AND SATISFACTION WITH THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES OF UNDERGRADUATE GERONTOLOGY STUDENTS

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify the association between satisfaction with academic experiences and anxiety, depression and stress in undergraduate students in Gerontology. This was a descriptive, quantitative, and cross-sectional study. The sample was composed of students enrolled in the undergraduate course in Gerontology at the Federal University of São Carlos, divided into two groups, according to the median satisfaction with academic experiences, namely: (a) Group with high satisfaction with academic experiences (GAlta Satisfaction): composed of students with satisfaction scores with academic experiences higher than the median,  (b) Group with low academic satisfaction (GBaixa Satisfação): composed of students with satisfaction scores with academic experiences below the median. The instruments for data collection were: Student Characterization Questionnaire, Academic Experiences Questionnaire – Short Version (QVA-R) and Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scale (EADS-21). The data obtained were entered into a database in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows for statistical analysis. The sociodemographic profile of the undergraduate students in Gerontology was female, young, single, without children, from a favored social class, and dedicated exclusively to student activities. The total and dimensional scores of satisfaction with academic experiences were high and were above the midpoint of the scale. The dimension that presented the best score was the "institutional", followed by the "interpersonal" dimension. The dimensions with the lowest values were "personal" and "career" (in this order). Regarding emotional factors, the "stress" domain had the highest score, followed by the "depression" and "anxiety" domains. There was a significant association between satisfaction with academic experiences and anxiety, depression, and stress among undergraduate students in Gerontology. It was concluded that students with low satisfaction with academic life have more symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety.