Coping Strategies used by university students: Brazil-Finland transnational study

• Grant number: 23/12269-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 10, 2023
• End date: March 09, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini Campos
• Grantee: Livia Oliveira dos Santos
• Supervisor: Timo Antero Peltomaki
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Tampere University, Finland
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/05930-8 - Coping Strategies used by university students: Brazil-Finland transnational study, BP.IC

Abstract

Objectives: identify i. the type of mental health care used by Brazilian university students, ii. the main coping strategies used by brazilian and Finnish studentes to deal with everyday challenges, iii. estimate the probability of adopting different strategies based on sample characteristics and iv. carry out a transnational comparison (Brazil and Finland) of the strategies adopted. Methods: It is a cross-sectional observational study with online data collection. In Brazil, data collected in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 will be used. In Finland, data will be collected in the year 2023. A questionnaire will be used to characterize the sample and the BriefCOPE Inventory. The fit of the BriefCOPE to the sample will be estimated using confirmatory factor analysis with robust estimator Weighted Least Squares Mean and Variance Adjusted (WLSMV) and the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). BriefCOPE's transnational invariance (CFI) will be estimated. Prevalences of the type of mental health care used and commonly used coping strategies will be calculated using a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). A multiple logistic regression model will be developed where each coping strategy will be the dependent variable and the sample characteristics the independent ones. The odds ratio (OR) will also be estimated by 95%CI. Network analysis will also be carried out to identify the relationships and strength of the different coping strategies used by students from both countries, seeking to identify patterns and core strategies. A Gaussian graphic model regulated by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method will be used. Similarity analysis will also be performed to verify the connection between the coping strategies. The analyzes will be carried out considering the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 separately and the mental health care group absent or present. (AU)