A stay in Southampton to study emotional wellbeing and mental health in young people

In Southampton (United Kingdom), from whose port the Titanic departed in 1912, the predoctoral researcher Úrsula Paiva, from the group 'Mind-brain' of the Institute for Culture and Society of the University of Navarra to carry out a research stay in the framework of her thesis doctoral thesis. For the past three months, this city has become her home and the University of Southampton her place of work. Specifically, the department of Psychiatry of the School of Medicine, where she has worked alongside Professor Samuel Chamberlain; researcher Lucy Dorey; and her co-director of thesis , Samuele Cortese.

Paiva, who is doing her doctoral thesis on emotional well-being and mental health in young university students, gives a "very positive" balance of the stay. "It has provided me with a good methodological knowledge base. In my thesis work with many data and it is important to learn how to analyze them and also to identify what tests you might need for this," she explains.

In fact, he was able to learn how to use the statistical program Stata, which facilitates the analysis of the data collected. "I was able to apply some tests and, specifically, focus on problematic Internet use and how other variables, such as loneliness or psychopathological symptoms, for example, anxiety or depression, can influence this problem," he says.

The researcher, a native of Peru, also values the opportunity "to work with an international team, experts in the topic". Precisely, the group with which she did her research during her stay had already carried out a survey on mental health for students at this university and others in the United Kingdom, whose data were very relevant for her research: "The survey talks about well-being, but also identifies psychopathological symptoms. It is very comprehensive and asks about many variables: issues related to anxiety, depression, problem gambling or gambling... And also other issues such as compassion, resilience, loneliness...".

Members of this team have also shared their rich professional experience with Paiva. Many are researchers and professors at the University who also perform internship clinically, as they also work for the UK National Health Service and see patients there. This international atmosphere is also very present in this university city: "It is a bigger city than I expected and, above all, I was struck by its diversity, in every sense: people from different countries, cultures, religions...". That's why the stay was also an opportunity to share study and leisure time with researchers from other academic centers.