The study is being conducted with students and staff of 50 public universities across the country.
Text and image: Renasam
The National Study on Mental Health in Universities was launched in 2025.Enasam-U). This month, the research is being carried out in the Central-West region of the country, at the Federal University of Goiás. The study covers students and staff of 50 public universities across Brazil, aged between 18 and 75, and has the motto "For a healthy academic community".
The research aims to understand the effects and challenges of mental health faced by universities in order to direct efforts towards building a more welcoming, inclusive, and productive university. To this end, the researchers will collect detailed information in two stages: first, by sending an online questionnaire to selected students and staff through a random draw; and second, through diagnostic interviews via telehealth to assess mental health.
The investigation is coordinated nationally by the Pro-rector of Research at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Flávio Kapczinski, who emphasizes the importance of understanding the reality of mental health in universities. "Knowing this reality will allow us to have a representative overview of the Brazilian situation, which will certainly support the redirection of public policies in the field of Mental Health, at regional and national levels," he explains. At UFG, the research coordination is carried out by Professor Douglas José Nogueira of the Faculty of Nursing.
The research is supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and is coordinated by researchers from UFRGS and Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz). In the Central-West region, six public universities were selected by lottery, which will represent the entire university community. These are: University of Brasília (UnB), Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), State University of Goiás (UEG) and Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT).
National Coverage
In total, data will be collected from 50 public universities across the national territory, with an expected participation of 15,000 volunteers. The study follows all ethical criteria and ensures the privacy and confidentiality of participants, and will begin, in each location, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee.
To enable tracking throughout all of Brazil, the National Mental Health Network (Renasam) has been consolidated, which plays an important role in coordinating research groups for the development and innovation in Mental Health. In addition, the Network aims to conduct innovative studies and disseminate updated information to increase awareness of the issue and break the stigma associated with such problems.
About the National Mental Health Network (Renasam)
Renasam is a research network, with the objective of developing, coordinating, multiplying and disseminating scientific and technological knowledge in Mental Health. Launched in May 2024, the Network has 50 researchers from all Brazilian macro-regions. In the next two years, two major projects will be carried out: Enasam-U and Enasam.
The second study will be the first to assess the frequency of mental health diagnoses throughout the national territory. Eight thousand in-person screening interviews will be conducted in randomly selected households. Subsequently, a synchronous online interview will be conducted on a random sub-sample of individuals who responded to the screening.
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