Depressão e seus impactos na fisiologia e desempenho acadêmico de universitários

Abstract

Depression, considered one of the main diseases of the millennium, is classified as a mood disorder, which can interfere in the life of those who suffer from it. Depression brings problems beyond the psychological and can affect psychosocial interactions, performance, and even physiology, thus causing the risk of developing other health problems. This study aimed to understand if there is some kind of relationship between depression and academic performance and also the relationship between depression and some physiological data, including heart rate variability (HRV) and the use of accelerometers to measure body sway, trying to find some pattern among the depression scores. The study had the participation of 11 college students who provided online data for this research. The classification of depression levels was done through the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Mild and moderate depression severity scores were found in this study, with no severe cases. Among the main results was a slight negative correlation between depression and academic achievement quotient (ARC). Although not significant, correlations were also found between depression and HRV.