Salud mental y bienestar en doctorandos mexicanos y españoles: un estudio transcultural

Introduction: Decreased well-being and high distress among doctoral students are growing concerns in higher education and research. Objective: To analyze and contrast sociodemographic characteristics, well-being indicators, and emotional distress in Mexican and Spanish doctoral students.Method: Observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study. Information was collected through an online questionnaire that included indicators of well-being and emotional distress.Results: Three hundred fifty-one doctoralstudents, 192 Mexican and 159 Spanish,participated. Doctoral students in Spain showed lower levels of emotional well-being and higher indicators of emotional distress compared to their Mexican peers. Being an international student (χ2 = 38.09; p < 0.01) and age (χ² = 0.16; p < 0.01) emerged as risk factors for mental health problems. Conclusions:Differences in mental health by country suggest that academic and cultural factors may influence the well-being of PhD students. These findings highlight the need to strengthen institutional strategies for psychological support and training in stress management skills in the doctoral community.