PEGA LEVE - COLLEGE STUDENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH

AN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

Mental health in the university setting involves a variety of personal, institutional, and environmental factors at a transitional stage in the students' life cycle, which may make them more vulnerable to the onset, aggravation, or perpetuation of common mental disorders. In addition, the search for help and adequate treatment in this population is insufficient, mainly due to attitudinal barriers such as stigma and dysfunctional coping strategies, which provides worse outcomes. Thus, the extension project “Pega Leve - college students’ mental health”, an intervention based on gatekeeper training among peers, presents itself as a potential tool for the promotion and prevention of mental health in this population, allowing the creation of  support networks, early identification of risk cases and appropriate referral to mental health services. During 2018 and 2019, more than seven hundred people were affected by the actions promoted by Pega Leve and three gatekeeper groups were formed according to the unprecedented protocol developed for the project, subjectively resulting in a greater perception of engagement and social support and placing the student as an active mental health promotion agent in the various microenvironments comprised by the University.