The increasing prevalence and severity of mental health problems among young people who enter higher or technical/professional education, right after high school, is a critical issue for educational institutions and the community in general (Kessler et al., 2007), particularly since most mental health disorders manifest themselves during this period (Duffy et al., 2019). Currently, there is a lack of information regarding the stressors that are present in educational institutions and the strategies that can be implemented to support the mental well-being of college students (Baik et al., 2019). As mentioned by other authors, limited research has been conducted in developing countries, such as Brazil, on the impacts of socio-cultural, economic, and educational factors on students entering higher education (Hernández-Torrano et al., 2020), in addition to insufficient information on the mental health profile of this population, particularly since the expansion of higher and technical/professional education in Brazil in the 2000s and beyond justifies this study.

The most commonly reported mental health issues affecting students are substance abuse, anxiety, and mood disorders (Auerbach et al., 2016; Pedrelli et al., 2015). Women, non-religious individuals, and members of the LGBTQI + community are particularly vulnerable to these conditions (Auerbach et al., 2018; King et al., 2021). In different countries, the prevalence of mental disorders such as anxiety varies significantly. For example, approximately 30% of Canadian institution students have reported suffering from an anxiety disorder (King et al., 2021), whereas only 10% of students from American institutions, including technical training and higher education, have reported experiencing such issues (Liu et al., 2019). Furthermore, a study conducted in 19 educational institutions worldwide, offering technical and higher education, revealed that anxiety disorders are prevalent among 16.4% of students (Auerbach et al., 2018).

The World Bank classifies Brazil as an upper-middle-income nation (World Bank, 2023), but the prevalence of mental disorders, especially anxiety, is higher than similar economic groups. The prevalence of anxiety among Brazilian university students was alarming at 37.7% (Demenech et al., 2021). This is higher than the 29.8% observed among peers from other upper-middle-income countries and the 54.2% observed in lower-middle-income countries (Li et al., 2022). As a result, Brazil faces acute mental health challenges. There is a 28.5% prevalence of depression among Brazilian students, which is marginally lower than the global average of 30.8% for upper-middle-income countries and 42.5% for lower-middle-income countries. There was only one study from Latin America included in this broader study (Li et al., 2022), pointing to the need for more regional studies.

A particularly alarming aspect of this problem is the high rate of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among youth. Globally, there are approximately 703,000 suicide deaths reported each year. The World Health Organization reports that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for individuals aged 15 to 29 (World Health Organization, 2021b). Over the past twenty years, suicide rates have consistently increased across the Americas, with more than 97,000 suicides reported in 2019 (World Health Organization, 2021b; Lange et al., 2023) despite some noticeable variations across countries.

In Canada, one out of four university students has contemplated suicide, and 6% have attempted suicide (King et al., 2021). As for the United States, suicidal ideation and attempts have been reported at 24.3% and 9.3%, respectively (Liu et al., 2019). In Brazil, suicide rates have increased significantly among adolescents and young adults over the past decade. Specifically, for the age group of 20 to 29 years old, it has become the fourth most common cause of death (Brazil, 2024). Demenech et al. (2021) found that university students exhibit an overall prevalence of suicidal behavior of 9%. The results of another study indicate that, across various countries, the yearly rate of suicidal thoughts and the lifetime rate of suicide attempts among university students were 14.1% and 3.1%, respectively (Crispim et al., 2021). These findings indicate the urgent need for targeted mental health initiatives, including preventative and supportive measures, to address these distressing rates among students.

Considering the scarcity of studies originating from Latin America (Li et al., 2022) and the consequent lack of representation of this research in the region, it is evident that we need to deepen our knowledge of mental disorders within the context of higher education. There is a knowledge gap that may conceal critical factors that can affect the mental health of university students, such as socioeconomic inequality, stigma surrounding mental health, and limited access to psychological support services (Lund et al., 2018; Patel et al., 2010). This is especially relevant when it comes to the prevalence and recognition of these disorders among ethnic and racial minorities, members of the LGBTQIA + community, and those who are economically disadvantaged (Kirkbride et al., 2024). The study of mental disorders in higher education should be expanded beyond the North American and European axis, and should take into consideration the particularities of Latin America, particularly Brazil. As a result, policies and interventions can be developed in a manner that is more closely aligned with the local needs of students, while also gaining a broader and more representative global perspective. In order to formulate solutions that are more inclusive, it is necessary to consider diverse socioeconomic and cultural realities. Due to this, this study aimed to answer the following question: What is the mental health illness profile of students entering higher and technical education, and what are the associated factors?

To more robustly analyze the profile of mental illness among college students located in a region of greater social vulnerability in Brazil, Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was utilized. The technique is used to identify qualitatively different subgroups within populations based on their similar patterns of responses modeled with covariates (Lanza and Cooper, 2016; Weller et al., 2020). As opposed to techniques that focus on variables, LCA employs a person-centered analytical methodology, assuming that all individuals within a population exhibit the same patterns of association between variables of interest (Lanza and Cooper, 2016; Weller et al., 2020). The use of a person-based approach to characterize the illness profile results in a more robust classification that could have significant clinical significance.

What differentiates LCA is the use of a person-centered analytical methodology, in contrast to analysis techniques that focus on variables which assume that all individuals within a population show the same pattern of association between variables of interest (Lanza and Cooper, 2016; Weller et al., 2020). The use of a person-based approach to characterize the illness profile leads to a more robust classification that may have significant clinical implications. Furthermore, it facilitates the development of strategies for promoting mental health among college students (Essau and de la Torre-Luque, 2019; Garcia-Cerde et al., 2021; Bornheimer et al., 2022; Bernanke et al., 2017). In this way, the factors that are associated with mental illness will be able to identify risk groups within each profile pre-established by the LCA, allowing greater precision in the planning of interventions within the educational environment.

In this study, conditions suggestive of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were used as dependent variables in LCA, as these mental disorders are the most prevalent among college students (King et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2019; Auerbach et al., 2018; Demenech et al., 2021; Pacheco et al., 2017; Sheldon et al., 2021). Thus, the objective of this study is to identify mental illness profiles of college students at a Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology or Brazilian Federal Institute (IF), through LCA, as well as to identify factors associated with these profiles.