Mental health, belonging, and inequalities in higher education: a quantitative analysis

• Grant number: 25/23882-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Kelly Cristina Brandão da Silva
• Grantee: Andrey Cardoso dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 25/13804-8 - Experiences of Care and Psychological Distress: The Sense of Belonging among University Students, AP.R

Abstract

The Scientific Initiation project is part of a larger research study funded by FAPESP (Grant No. 2023/17975-6), which aims to conduct a clinical-political diagnosis of the psychological distress experienced by university students at Unicamp. It is important to note that this project is part of an international multicenter study.Specifically, this subproject proposes to train an undergraduate research fellow in a qualitative research-intervention approach, grounded in theoretical frameworks from Psychology, Social Psychology, and Education. Based on the analysis of narratives produced in focus groups with Unicamp undergraduate students, the project seeks to investigate how these students experience practices of care and psychological distress within the university context, taking into account social markers such as race, class, gender, and sexuality, and articulating these with national and international critical perspectives.The research fellow will be involved in all stages of the study-from organizing and recording the focus groups to transcribing, analyzing the data, and developing analytical categories. The proposal also includes an international stage through the Research Internship Abroad Scholarship (BEPE/FAPESP), to be carried out at one of the partner institutions of the multicenter project: Université Paris 8 Saint-Denis (France) or FLACSO (Argentina). This experience will enable theoretical and methodological deepening, further strengthening the fellow's scientific training.