GIUV2023-590
We are the VALSME (Valencia Mental Health and Stigma) research group. Our research activity has been developed in three areas: (1) mental health problems in university students; (2) social stigma towards mental illness during higher education; and (3) the relationship between healthy lifestyles and mental health. Our group pioneered the identification, through surveys, of the high prevalence of mental health problems (anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation) in medical students at Spanish public universities. These assessments are necessary to sensitise students, reduce self-stigma and, if necessary, encourage seeking professional help. We have also contributed to raising awareness of the magnitude of this problem and sensitising professionals by organising courses and workshops in scientific forums in the fields of mental health and higher education. Our group has also detected the presence of public stigma (stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination) towards people with mental illness in students in medicine, psychology and dentistry degrees. In collaboration with the associative network, we have organised different activities based on interaction between students and...We are the VALSME (Valencia Mental Health and Stigma) research group. Our research activity has been developed in three areas: (1) mental health problems in university students; (2) social stigma towards mental illness during higher education; and (3) the relationship between healthy lifestyles and mental health. Our group pioneered the identification, through surveys, of the high prevalence of mental health problems (anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation) in medical students at Spanish public universities. These assessments are necessary to sensitise students, reduce self-stigma and, if necessary, encourage seeking professional help. We have also contributed to raising awareness of the magnitude of this problem and sensitising professionals by organising courses and workshops in scientific forums in the fields of mental health and higher education. Our group has also detected the presence of public stigma (stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination) towards people with mental illness in students in medicine, psychology and dentistry degrees. In collaboration with the associative network, we have organised different activities based on interaction between students and patients/users with severe mental illness. Direct contact (colloquium-talk) and indirect (audiovisual) interventions foster more positive attitudes towards mental illness in future health professionals. At present, our research has broadened to include the knowledge of healthy lifestyle habits and their relationship with mental health variables in the general population and in specific populations (Lifestyle Psychiatry). The research group has experience in conducting and analysing surveys to monitor both public stigma and mental health issues in the field of higher education. We have experience in designing strategies to reduce stigma based on contact and aimed specifically at health degree students. We also have experience in evaluating lifestyle from a multidimensional perspective using the SMILE tool, which, for the first time, enables the simultaneous and comprehensive analysis of all healthy habits contemplated in the current scientific definitions of the lifestyle construct: diet, physical activity, sleep, substance use, social support, stress management and environmental exposures. The work carried out over the last 5 years has contributed to scientific knowledge in these three areas by disseminating the results in scientific conferences and journals. The group's ultimate goal is to implement strategies to improve results in each area.
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- Estudiar los componentes del estigma publico hacia la enfermedad mental en estudiantes universitarios y su evolucion en el tiempo.
- Evaluar la eficacia de estrategias de contacto, directo e indirecto, para reducir el estigma hacia la enfermedad mental en estudiantes universitarios
- Avanzar en el conocimiento sobre la interconexion entre la salud mental y los diferentes habitos de vida saludable en las diferentes poblaciones.
- Avanzar en la identificacion de factores de riesgo y proteccion de los principales problemas de salud mental en el estudiantado universitario.
- Establecer sinergias con grupos de investigacion internacionales para detectar y abordar los problemas de salud mental en la educacion superior.
- Mental health in university students.Evaluation of the most frequent mental health problems: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, insomnia and substance abuse. Online surveys using screening questionnaires and time series on prevalence and determinants. Identification of risk profiles.
- Public stigma towards mental ill health among university students.Observational studies on the components of stigma and their relationship with familiarity with mental illness. Design and evaluation of the effectiveness of direct and indirect contact strategies (in virtual environments) to reduce public stigma in students.
- Lifestyles and Mental Health (LIFE-SAM).Assessment of healthy habits through tools that enable a comprehensive and multidimensional analysis of lifestyles. Understanding of the pattern of interactions between healthy habits and mental health in the general population and in specific populations (lifestyle psychiatry).
| Name | Nature of participation | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| VICENTE BALANZA MARTINEZ | Director | Universitat de València | |
| Research team | |||
| JUAN C RUIZ RUIZ | Collaborator | Universitat de València | |
| INMACULADA FUENTES DURA | Collaborator | Universitat de València | |
| Beatriz Atienza Carbonell | Collaborator | Fundación de la Comunidad Valenciana Universidad Internacional de Valencia | full-time trainee professor (doctor) |
| Jose Cervera Martinez | Collaborator | Universitat de València - Estudi General | UVEG PhD student |
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- salud mental; estudiantes universitarios; encuestas; factores de riesgo y protección; depresión; ansiedad; suicidio; insomnio; drogas; alcohol
- estigma público; enfermedad mental; estudiantes universitarios; estereotipos; prejuicios; discriminación; contacto directo; contacto indirecto
- estilo de vida; lifestyle; salud mental; dieta; nutrición; sueño; actividad física; apoyo social; gestión del estrés; abuso de sustancias
