Psychiatry International · Published 2026-06-12 · DOI 10.3390/psychiatryint7030136
Karine Santana de Azevedo Zago, Raissa Pereira Dutra, Clesnan Mendes-Rodrigues, Amanda Viana Hortêncio, Analicy Rodrigues Xavier, Sarah Campos Moura Rabelo, Gustavo Henrique Borges de Souza, Felipe Rodrigues Torres, Polyana Alvarenga Matumoto, Mônica Rodrigues da Silva, Hélder Eterno da Silveira, Elaine Saraiva Calderari, Tiago Rocha Pinto, Ricardo Wagner Machado da Silveira, Cynthia Daniela Figueiredo de Souza, Tatiana Benevides Magalhães Braga, Marciana Gonçalves Farinha, Luiza Pereira Silva Assis, Beatriz da Silva Vieira, Fabiola Alves Gomes
This study aimed to assess the self-reported depressive symptomatology of university students during their first therapeutic online consultation and intervention at PROTEGER-SE Project, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a screening instrument. A cross-sectional, retrospective, and analytical study was conducted with 350 records of university students from 2020–2023 collected immediately after their first appointment. Many students presented moderate to severe depressive symptoms, with one-third classified as severe. Logistic regression showed that female sex was associated with higher symptomatology severity, while lower PHQ-9 scores and Humanities field of study enrollment predicted perceived improvement after consultation. Findings reinforce the importance of university-based mental health support, gender-sensitive approaches, and the systematic use of PHQ-9 for early screening and continuous monitoring.
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Zago, K., Dutra, R., Mendes-Rodrigues, C., et al. (2026). Self-Reported Depressive Symptomatology Among University Students: Evidence from the PROTEGER-SE Project. Psychiatry International. https://doi.org/10.3390/psychiatryint7030136