Monitoramento em Saúde Mental via Smartphone: Ecological Momentry Assessment em Universitários

Abstract

Students’ mental health is a growing concern due to the increasing number of mental disorders. Current evidence suggests that mental health can be described both by the presence of symptoms and by the interaction with positive characteristics, as proposed by the Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health (DFMMH). However, little is known about the stability and transition dynamics among the profiles proposed by the model.The objective of this study was to identify, validate, and examine the stability/transition of the mental health profiles proposed by the DFMMH. A sample of 1254 university students (71% women) aged between 18 and 56 years (M = 23; SD = 7) participated in an intensive longitudinal study over six weeks. Psychopathological symptoms, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and academic stress were assessed.Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), four mental health profiles were identified: complete mental health, symptomatic but content, vulnerable, and troubled. ANOVA indicated that the profiles differ in terms of life satisfaction and academic stress levels, demonstrating the external validity of the identified profiles. Comparisons across the six weeks suggest stable proportions for the profiles; however, Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) revealed high stability for the troubled profile, with the highest transition occurring between the complete mental health and symptomatic but content profiles. The vulnerable profile served as a bridge between transitions.These results confirm the prediction of the DFMMH, highlighting the importance of identifying and monitoring mental health for the development of promotion and prevention strategies, and contributes to understanding the dynamics of change among the profiles over time.