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ABSTRACT
Gender differences among undergraduates are mainly found in the prevalence of common mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and sexual violence. However, there is a lack of information in the literature about gender differences in academic life satisfaction and psychological vulnerability among freshmen. Thus, this study aimed to identify gender differences in demographics, mental health, academic life satisfaction, and psychological vulnerability of freshmen. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 560 Portuguese freshmen. An online survey was used to collect data in all 29 Lisbon District colleges. Data were collected through a demographic and academic data questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38), the Academic Life Satisfaction Scale (ALLS), the Psychological Vulnerability Scale (PVS), and a question to assess students’ perception of their vulnerability. We found significant gender-related differences (p < .05) in all subscales of MHI-38, the ALLS-Personal Satisfaction subscale, and the self-perception of vulnerability. Overall, freshmen women presented worse scores in all subscales of MHI-38, in ALLS-Personal Satisfaction subscale, and a higher self-perception of vulnerability. These findings emphasize the need to design and implement mental health promotion activities, mainly focused on the needs of freshmen women, in colleges.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
D ata a vailability s tatement ([email protected])
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
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Notes on contributors
Maria José Nogueira
Maria José Nogueira is a Registered Mental Health Nurse, a Doctor and an Assistant Professor in the Portuguese Red Crox – Alto Tamêga School of Nursing. She belongs, as a Doctorate Integrated Researcher, to the research group ‘NursID: Innovation and Development in Nursing’ at the CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research.
Carlos Sequeira
Carlos Sequeira is a Registered Mental Health Nurse, a Doctor and an Associate Professor in the Porto School of Nursing. He belongs, as a Principal Investigator, to the research group ‘NursID: Innovation and Development in Nursing’ at the CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research.
Francisco Sampaio
Francisco Sampaio is a Registered Mental Health Nurse, a Doctor and an Assistant Professor in the Higher School of Health Fernando Pessoa. He belongs, as a Doctorate Integrated Researcher, to the research group ‘NursID: Innovation and Development in Nursing’ at the CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research. He is also a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto.