Depression in clinical training: assessment, prevention and comprehensive support for Psychology students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62452/qqkhrv74Keywords:
Depression, mental health, emotional well-beingAbstract
Depression among university students is a global issue that has significantly increased in recent years. This increase motivated the current research, which had the general objective of: Diagnosing the prevalence and severity of depression in students of the Clinical Psychology program at the Universidad Metropolitana del Ecuador (UMET) to identify key management and support strategies. The methodology adopted a quantitative approach with an explanatory field design and a cross-sectional type. The total population was 102 students, representing the entire enrollment in UMET's Clinical Psychology program. The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was used for data collection, and the data was processed and analyzed using SPSS V24 and Microsoft Excel (2019). Findings revealed a notable incidence of depressive symptoms; the categories of Emotional Disorder (49%) and Situational Depression (26%) were the most prevalent. In the 18 to 22 age range, 55% of students showed some degree of depression. Psychic symptoms like hopelessness and anhedonia predominated over physiological ones. It is concluded that depression in these university students is a significant phenomenon. While the majority are at a level of emotional disorder, the high prevalence of psychological symptoms underscores the need for proactive and preventive support strategies centered on developing resilience.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Azucena Monserrate Macías-Merizalde, Andrés Eduardo Quelal-Perugachi, Jesús Armando Villamizar-Montenegro, Kevin Christian Portocarrero-Montoya, James Adolfo Díaz-Encalada (Autor/a)
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