Transtorno mental e sofrimento psíquico no contexto universitário: uma análise à luz das representações sociais e do preconceito

Abstract

There has been an increasing incidence of mental disorders and psychological distress among university students, underscoring the urgency for attention and care. Grounded in the Theory of Social Representations and Prejudice, this study aims to analyze the social representations held by university students and teachers regarding mental disorders and psychological suffering, and to identify potential indications of prejudice. The hypothesis posits that mental disorders and psychological distress are represented differently among students and teachers, but both representations contain negative elements indicative of bias against students with these issues, with mental disorders showing greater evidence of prejudice. This thesis consists of three articles and an informational booklet about mental health in academic settings. The introductory article establishes the theoretical framework, contextualizing and conceptualizing the university environment, the Theory of Social Representations, mental disorders, psychological suffering, and prejudice. It provides a historical and cultural overview of these themes. The second article undertakes a comparative analysis of the social representations of mental disorders and psychological suffering held by university students and teachers. This article includes 263 participants: 178 students and 85 teachers. Data was collected using the Free Word Association Technique (FWA), with the stimuli "mental disorder" and "psychological distress" and analyzed through prototypical analysis. Open-ended questions ("What does mental disorder mean to you?" and "What does psychological distress mean to you?") were also subjected to Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC). Findings revealed that mental disorders were often represented as illness, suffering, depression, and madness. Psychic suffering, on the other hand, was depicted as pain, anguish, and sadness. The third article aims to explore indications of prejudice in the social representations of mental disorders and psychological suffering held by students and professors, particularly in relation to mentally ill peers. Utilizing the same sample as the second article, results were analyzed using CHD. Consequences of mental disorders included suffering/depression, exclusion/prejudice, and interference with daily life. For psychological suffering, representations emerged as disruptions to life and pain/depression. Elements suggesting prejudice included disregard/banalization/mockery for mental disorders, and exclusion/isolation as well as low performance/avoidance for mental suffering. Finally, the last text is an informational booklet aimed at providing insights into student mental health issues, guiding and/or sensitizing the academic community and the general population to gain a better understanding of what mental disorders and psychological distress entail, as well as their potential consequences within the academic context. Furthermore, the booklet presents several strategies for preventing the onset of mental health challenges in university educational spaces. We can observe that the social representations held by students and university faculty regarding mental disorders and psychological distress diverge in certain aspects between the two groups, as anticipated. However, they also share commonalities, such as the evocation of sadness and suffering in response to both stimuli. We also identified social representations that indicate the presence of prejudice, with evocations like prejudice itself, exclusion, and stigma. All the findings pointed toward the importance of initiatives that provide clarification and guidance regarding the concepts of mental disorders and psychological distress, as well as raising awareness within the academic community, in order to alleviate negative representations and prejudiced behaviors.