Estrés percibido y sintomatología depresiva y ansiosa en adultos jóvenes
Perceived stress and depressive and anxious symptomatology in young adultsBarra lateral del artículo
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Introducción: La apreciación subjetiva del estrés constituye un factor relevante para la comprensión de la salud mental en adultos jóvenes. Objetivo: Analizar la relación entre el estrés percibido y la sintomatología depresiva y ansiosa en adultos en su mayoría jóvenes de la Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador. Método: Se desarrolló un estudio cuantitativo, no experimental, transversal y correlacional con 100 personas de 18 a 48 años (M = 22.86; DE = 4.17), seleccionadas mediante muestreo intencional. Se aplicó la Escala de Estrés Percibido (PSS-10) y el Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Resultados: Se evidencia que, un 66% de solteros, las medias de estrés (18.69/36) y sintomatología (4.35/12) son moderadas, pero con alta variabilidad, indicando casos extremos. La correlación positiva, fuerte y significativa entre el estrés percibido y la sintomatología emocional (rho = .707, p < .001), compartiendo el 50% de la varianza respalda la detección temprana de estrés como objetivo clave en salud mental. Conclusión: Los hallazgos mostraron que, mayores niveles de estrés percibido se vinculan con mayor sintomatología depresiva y ansiosa, lo que destaca la necesidad de fortalecer las estrategias de afrontamiento en esta población.
Introduction: The subjective appraisal of stress constitutes a relevant factor for understanding mental health in young adults. Objective: To analyze the relationship between perceived stress and depressive and anxious symptomatology in a sample of predominantly young adults from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador. Method: A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted with 100 participants aged 18 to 48 (M = 22.86; SD = 4.17), selected through purposive sampling. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) were administered. Results: Findings indicate that 66% of the sample were single; mean scores for stress (18.69/36) and symptomatology (4.35/12) were moderate but showed high variability, indicating extreme cases. A strong, positive, and significant correlation was found between perceived stress and emotional symptomatology (rho = .707, p < .001), sharing 50% of the variance, which supports early stress detection as a key objective in mental health. Conclusion: The findings showed that higher levels of perceived stress are linked to increased depressive and anxious symptomatology, highlighting the need to strengthen coping strategies in this population.
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