The study aimed to estimate the high suicide risk during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Colombian population. A total of 700 adults aged between 18 and 76 years (M = 37.1, SD = 12.7; 68.0% women) completed an online questionnaire. Findings showed that 7.6% of participants reported a high suicide risk. High suicide risk was associated with high perceived stress related to COVID-19, risk of depressive episode, and insomnia. Our study suggests that 1 out of 13 Colombians in a non-probability sample reports a high suicide risk during COVID-19. Findings need to be corroborated in a representative sample of Colombians.

Objetivo: Describir la prevalencia de la salud general percibida y su asociación al síndrome de burnout académico e ideación suicida en universitarios de una institución pública de la ciudad de Santa Marta. Método: Se realizó un estudio observacional de corte transversal con componente analítico, en una muestra de 807 estudiantes de una universidad pública, quienes respondieron la escala de salud general (GHQ), el inventario de burnout académico (MBI-SS) y la escala de ideación suicida (CES-D-IS). Resultados: Mostraron el 60 % de los participantes eran mujeres con edades entre 18 a 47 años. El 28 % informa malestar en su salud general percibida. La ideación suicida (OR = 3,16; IC 95 % 1,82 - 5,49), el agotamiento (OR = 2,22; IC 95 % 1,51 - 3,25), el cinismo (OR = 1,61; IC 95 % 1,14 - 2,28), y la ineficacia académica (OR = 1,60; IC 95 % 1,12 - 2,28) se asociaron a malestar general percibido. Conclusiones: La ideación suicida y las dimensiones del burnout (agotamiento, cinismo e ineficacia académica) son factores de riesgo para la salud general percibida en los estudiantes universitarios. Se necesita más investigación acerca del papel de variables contextuales en la salud general de los estudiantes universitarios.

El presente estudio tiene por objetivo identificar y describir el impacto de los programas de bienestar en la calidad de vida de estudiantes universitarios. Se realizó un estudio bibliométrico retrospectivo y descriptivo; se revisaron artículos indexados en la base de datos Scopus, de los cuales se seleccionaron 11 publicaciones para elaborar el presente artículo, teniendo en cuenta el título, afiliación de los autores, resumen y conclusiones. El 81,8 % de los estudiantes que participaron en algún programa de bienestar universitario tuvieron un impacto positivo en su calidad de vida. En un 18,2 % no se hallaron diferencias significativas entre estudiantes que participaron y aquellos que no participaron. La calidad de vida es una variable transversal en los programas de bienestar universitario, lo que hace necesario evaluar otros factores al momento de establecer una estrategia de intervención.

Introduction: During Covid-19, high prevalence of distress was reported among students, suggesting that they may be at higher risk than the general population of developing psychological disorders in confinement situations. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of four databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science) for articles published from January 2020 to May 2022. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Random effects meta-analyses of the reported proportions of college students with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress were carried out, and between-studies heterogeneity was also analysed. Results: 73 studies (N=209.761) were included for meta-analysis. The estimated proportion of college students with clinically significant short-term symptoms was 34% for anxiety (95% CI [29%,39%]; I ² =99.75%), 38% for depression (95% CI [33%,44%; I ² = 99.71%), and 54% for stress (95% CI [46%,62%]; I ² = 99.57%). The estimated proportion of college students with clinically significant long-term symptoms was 37% for anxiety (95% CI [32%,42%]; I ² = 97.92%), 31% for depression (95% CI [23%,41%]; I ² = 99.49%) and 41% for stress (95% CI [25%,59%]; I ² = 99.29%) were found. Several methodological and sociodemographic moderators accounted for heterogeneity in the observed prevalences. Limitations: The heterogeneity of study findings suggest that the results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion: The current evidence shows that approximately one-third of college students experienced distress, further where we can infer that there was no evidence of a worsening in mental health derived from a cumulative effect during the pandemic. PROSPERO: CRD420222233036.

The decreasing well-being among doctoral candidates, coupled with a high prevalence of distress problems, is a topic of increasing concern in the field of higher education and research policy. The present study aimed to replicate, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of The Third Half, a multi-component psychoeducational program in doctoral students. To address the limitations of the pilot study, we conducted a non-randomized controlled study using a repeated measures pre-post design with a total of 97 participants (Mage = 32.5; SD = 8.23), of whom 26 participated in the experimental group. Results showed that Third Half program participants reported significant decreases in indicators of negative affect (F = 4.01; p = .04) and anxiety (F = 4.95; p = .02) compared to the general control group; in the matched sample analysis (n = 20) significant decreases were found in indicators of negative affect (F = 4.72; p = .03), anxiety (F = 4.09; p < .001), and depression (F = 4.95; p = .03). It is concluded that the Third Half program is an effective and implementable psychoeducational program to improve the skills of early-career researchers in wellness management.