Relações entre resiliência e sofrimento mental em acadêmicos da Educação Superior

Abstract

This thesis investigated the relationships between resilience, mental health, and substance use in higher education students, under the framework of the Multisystemic Model of Resilience (MSMR). The research was structured into three studies that furthered the understanding of this phenomenon. Study 1 consisted of a narrative literature review of the last 25 years, which established the thesis theoretical framework, justified the adoption of the MSMR, and synthesized the state of the art on the subject. The findings indicate that resilience consistently acts as a protective factor against psychological distress. Study 2, a quantitative and crosssectional study, analyzed a sample of 357 university students, mapping the correlations between dimensions of resilience (MSMR-I), indicators of psychological distress (COREOM), substance use (AUDIT), and sociodemographic variables. Sociodemographic and contextual factors were found to be important moderators, with external resilience associated with higher income and White ethnicity, and internal resilience associated with more positive health behaviors. Study 3, a quantitative and longitudinal investigation, followed 169 medical students over two academic semesters, analyzing the temporal evolution of these variables and their interrelationships using network analyses and regression models. The most salient finding from the longitudinal study reveals an incongruity in the adaptive process: although the students' global resilience increased over time, indicators of emotional distress (complaints and symptoms) also significantly worsened. This result suggests that in highstress environments, the development of resilience resources may occur as an adaptive mechanism that does not necessarily translate into subjective well-being, thereby imposing a psychosocial cost. It is concluded that resilience is a dynamic and multisystemic process. Its effective promotion in higher education requires social and institutional interventions focused on creating healthy academic environments and strengthening support systems (external resilience), rather than approaches centered exclusively on the individual.