Depressive disorders in Brazilian medical students residing in Cochabamba-Bolivia

Abstract

This exploratory study addresses the mental health of foreign students living in Bolivia since the interest and concern is based on the growing student diversity and the importance of addressing mental health in this specific context; The literature review highlights the vulnerability of foreign students to depressive disorders and the need to understand the factors that influence their well-being. The objective focuses on determining with a specific approach the prevalence of depressive disorders and the associated factors for a better approach to this problem in a university setting. The methodology was developed under the naturalistic paradigm with a qualitative approach, it included the selection of participants through stratified sampling, with the inclusion criterion being being a Brazilian student studying medicine, the scale test was used. Hamilton depression adapted to the cultural context administered through Google Forms online with the application of statistical analysis to evaluate the relationship between mental health and various factors contributing to depressive disorder. The presentation of results addresses the demographic characteristics of the sample, the prevalence of depressive disorders, associated factors and comparisons with previous studies. The results provide a comprehensive view of the mental health of Brazilian students in Cochabamba-Bolivia.